Time, Darkness, and Sky: Team Pokepals and Grovyle
by GreenSonic21
Summary: What made Grovyle so determined to find the Time Gears? What work did Team Poképals do before they teamed up with the so-called outlaw to find the Hidden Land? Find out in this continuation of the two PMD2 anime episodes and a look at Grovyle's past.
1. A New Mission? First Fugitive

Welcome to my newest fanfic. A few readers of my very first fanfic said I should try to do one based on the PMD2 specials, so now I'm going to give it a try, especially since Team Poképals will be appearing in the sequel to my first fanfic.

In addition, this is also going to have a backstory for Piplup and Grovyle, back before the events of the games. As a result, each chapter will be split into two parts: one for Team Poképals, the other for Grovyle. A line will indicate when a switch occurs; not much of a warning, I know, but it seems to be the simplest way of doing it.

Just like before, this fic will follow the basic storyline of the games, as far as the Team Poképals portions go, though some things will be added or changed as the fic goes on.

I don't own anything Pokémon-related, only the ideas present in this story. Now that that's out of the way, let's get started.

* * *

Dark black clouds covered the sky, hiding the formerly blue skies and sun from view. The world below seemed to reflect the darkness in the sky; no matter where anyone went, the landscape was virtually the same, be it the plains, a forest that managed to survive without sunlight, or the mountainous areas. They were all covered in darkness, and many of the Pokémon in this world were corrupted by it.

In a forest near the sea, a green blur could be seen leaping from tree to tree, eventually coming to rest on a branch sturdy enough to support its weight. Now that it had stopped, it was clear that it was a Grovyle that had a dark brown satchel slung around its shoulder. As it rested for a moment, it muttered, in a deep voice indicating it was a male, "This world has been like this since before I was born. Life is a struggle for many, and many of the Pokémon I have met live with no hope. I've heard what the world used to be like; how could this have happened? Everyone I've asked always points to the west. To Primal Dialga..."

Suddenly, he heard the sound of rapid footsteps in the distance and took cover amongst the leaves. Peering down through the covering, he could make out a group of small, purple bipedal Pokémon scurrying through the forest. Grovyle murmured, "Sableye... What else is new? And if they're here..."

He soon heard a deep male voice, "Keep moving, Sableye! You know how Master Dialga does not like to be kept waiting!" A mostly black Pokémon soon floated past the tree Grovyle was in, stopping for a moment and examining the tree for a moment before moving on. It had a single black eye with a yellow iris and red pupil, two yellow bands near its black wrists and gray hands, two almond-shaped eye-like markings on its chest with a zigzag line running underneath them (making it look like a face), another yellow band near the yellow antenna on the top of its head, and a ghostly tail. It hovered in the air, having no need for feet.

"_Dusknoir..._" Grovyle thought to himself, remembering the Gripper Pokémon. After Dusknoir left his sight, Grovyle considered leaving the area but then became interested in what Primal Dialga wanted. He knew that Dusknoir and his Sableye assistants were like bodyguards to Dialga, sent out to do the corrupted Temporal Pokémon's bidding. Usually, though, Dialga would appear to give them their orders or send out a Pokémon called Porygon to deliver the orders for him. Thus, it was rare for Dusknoir and the Sableye to have to return and personally see Dialga. Dropping down out of the tree, Grovyle said, "Better go see what's up." He then hurried after Dusknoir and the Sableye, making sure to keep a safe distance and follow the scent left by the Sableye.

Grovyle soon found that he was right about where they were heading: an area past the collapsed remains of an old cave near the ocean, where the only notable thing was a hole going down. He remembered all the times he leapt down into that hole, just like the Sableye had done just shortly before his arrival, but this time, he extended the Leaf Blades on his arms and used them to slowly make his way down. He could hear Dusknoir speaking as he went down, "All right, that's all of the Sableye. Now send me!"

Another voice, sounding slightly electronic, spoke, "Yes, Master Dusknoir!" As Grovyle got closer, he could make out Dusknoir standing between two Porygon. The two Porygon used their power, a black sphere laced with electricity forming around Dusknoir and causing him to disappear. Shortly afterwards, Grovyle let go of the wall and landed in front of the two Porygon, facing the sea as he looked at them. They both turned to face him at the sudden noise and exclaimed, "Waaah! Grovyle?"

Grovyle quickly moved to them and growled, "If you know what's good for you, then you'll send me where I want to go!" Both Porygon immediately gulped and nodded, both moving around Grovyle and using their power, the Wood Gecko Pokémon disappearing as well.

Soon, Grovyle appeared on a floating island, standing near one of the edges. Standing up, he muttered, "I never thought I'd come back here again..." He then detected the scent of the Sableye and said, "Well, I've come this far. I'd better keep going." With that, he ran off, the scent leading him towards a large, destroyed tower in the distance.

* * *

"SMILES GO FOR MILES!" the members of the Wigglytuff Guild all yelled as they finished with their morning words of encouragement out in front of the guild. Both Chimchar and Piplup said the words along with the other Guild members now that they knew them after listening in the previous day. Like yesterday, Chimchar was wide awake and Piplup was still a bit sleepy.

"Okay, Pokémon! Time to get to work!" Chatot spoke, all of the Guild members cheering, Piplup doing so a little more enthusiastically than yesterday. After Guildmaster Wigglytuff and the other Guild members went back inside, Chatot turned to Team Poképals and said, "Ah yes, Team Poképals. Come with me." He then spread his wings and flew down the ladder into the guild, Chimchar and Piplup following after glancing at each other.

Chatot was waiting for them on the first floor of the guild, standing in front of the board with all of the outlaws on it. As they stepped in front of him, Piplup asked, "What are we doing in front of the Outlaw Notice Board?"

Chatot explained, "Yesterday you were assigned a job from the Job Bulletin Board. Today you'll be handling a job from this board."

Piplup asked, "So you want us to catch an outlaw? Are we even ready for something like that?"

Chatot replied, "Well, you certainly were ready for Gabite. And the bad Pokémon out there come in all shades of badness. Some, like Grovyle, are wicked through and through, while others are merely petty thieves. So you've got evil and naughty... and everything in between! Still, for now, we'll make sure you stick to jobs that don't involve any superbad Pokémon. So look over the posters, then pick a Pokémon that looks weak enough for you to bring to justice!"

Chimchar spoke, "Okay, we'll do it!" He turned to Piplup and asked, "Right, Piplup?"

The blue penguin adjusted his Joy Ribbon as he said, "Uh, yeah, sure. But aren't we going to need supplies before we go after a criminal?"

Chatot said, "Hmm, well I suppose having only a Joy Ribbon and a Defense Scarf doesn't exactly count as being prepared. So I'll have someone help you with the preparation part." He turned to the ladder leading down further into the guild and called, "Hey! Bidoof! Bidoof?"

After a moment, the Plump Mouse Pokémon came up the ladder, huffing a bit as he came over to Chatot. "Yup yup, I'm here! You called for me, Chatot?"

Chatot nodded, "Yes, Bidoof. I'm sending our new recruits, Team Poképals, out on another mission today. Before they go, I'd like you to help them prepare and show them the town."

Bidoof replied, "Yes sirree! By golly, I'll do just that! Yup yup!"

Chatot turned back to Piplup and Chimchar, "You've already become acquainted with Bidoof, if I recall correctly. I want you to pay attention to what he has to say and follow his orders. Off you go, then!" He then hopped away, going deeper into the guild.

After Chatot left, Bidoof exclaimed, "Aw, shucks, I'm overjoyed!" He turned to Piplup and Chimchar and said, "I didn't mention this the other day, but I'm glad to have members junior to me! I'm almost overcome right now... I might just blubber with happiness! Before you all signed on, I was the most recent rookie..."

Seeing that he seemed to be on the verge of tears, Chimchar waved his arms frantically, "I-it's okay, Bidoof! We're glad you're here to help us!"

Bidoof took a moment to dry his eyes and said, "Right, I'd best show you around. Since Chatot showed you the layout of the guild, we'll go to Treasure Town. Come with me, please." With that, they went up the ladder leading out of the guild, heading for Treasure Town.

After going down the stairs in front of the guild and past the watering hole, Bidoof led Team Poképals towards Treasure Town. As they walked, both Bidoof and Chimchar explained the various buildings around town to Piplup, as he was the only one who didn't really know about any of them, aside from the Kecleon Brothers' Shopping Wares. After Chimchar withdrew some of his Poké from the Duskull Bank, Bidoof said, "Okay, let's go visit the Kecleon Brothers and get you your supplies. Then we'll go select an outlaw that's right for you two."

Chimchar smiled, "Thank you, Bidoof. You've been really nice."

Bidoof blushed, "G-golly, you're embarrassing me! Aw, shucks..." With that, the three of them headed to the west side of town.

When they arrived at the shop, the green Kecleon spoke, "Ah, Bidoof! What can we do for you and your new juniors?"

Bidoof replied, "They're going out to catch their first outlaw, by golly! It'll be something they can handle, but just to be safe, I'm helping them pick up supplies."

The purple Kecleon spoke, "Well, there's no better place to come than here for supplies! And after hearing about their successful mission to get a Gabite Scale the other day, we know Team Poképals will be able to handle an outlaw as well!"

They both asked, "So, what can we get for you?" Bidoof asked for two Oran Berries, a Pecha Berry, two Stun Seeds, and a Max Elixir, as that would provide Team Poképals with the basics while still leaving them with some Poké to buy more supplies in the future.

As the trio was about to leave, they heard someone say, "Misters Kecleon!" Everyone turned to see a Marill and Azurill coming down the street. Piplup, Chimchar, and Bidoof got out of the way as the two Pokémon stepped up to the counter.

The younger, green Kecleon spoke, "Ah! Little Marill and Azurill! Welcome, our little friends!"

Azurill spoke, "Hello. May I buy an Apple?"

Kecleon nodded, "Oh, most certainly!" He went into the back and came out holding a bag in his hands.

Taking the bag, Marill said, "Thank you, Misters Kecleon!"

Kecleon bowed, "No, thank you, my young friends! You are to be admired!" Both Marill and Azurill turned and began to head home after paying for the Apple.

The older, purple Kecleon turned to the trio and said, "Those delightful children are brothers, you know. Recently, their poor mother has fallen sick. So those youngsters come and do the shopping for her."

His brother added, "It's quite remarkable. Though very young, they've stepped up and taken charge."

Suddenly, they heard Marill call, "Misters Kecleon!" Everyone turned to see him and Azurill running back, Marill still carrying the bag.

After they stopped in front of the counter, the green Kecleon asked, "Oh? What's the hurry? What makes you return in such a rush?"

Azurill exclaimed, "There was an extra Apple!"

Marill nodded, "We didn't pay for this many."

The same Kecleon spoke, "Oh, yes... That, young friends, is a gift from me and my brother. Please, share it among yourselves and do enjoy."

Marill asked, "Really?" Both Kecleon nodded at that.

Azurill cheered, "Yay! Thank you, Mr. Kecleon and Mr. Kecleon!"

Kecleon nodded, "Oh, not to worry, my friends. Do take care on your way home." With that, both Azurill and Marill turned to go, heading back down the street.

Bidoof turned to Piplup and Chimchar, saying, "I suppose we'd better get going ourselves. We still have to pick an outlaw for you two to handle, yup yup!" They both nodded, so the trio said goodbye to the Kecleon Brothers and began to make their way back to the Wigglytuff Guild.

As they were walking through the east square, Piplup and Chimchar saw Shinx and his sister with Marill and Azurill on the side of the path, standing next to a larger Pokémon that had a trunk, was half yellow and half brown, had yellow toes, and tired-looking eyes. "What's going on over there?" Piplup wondered. They both walked over, Bidoof turning to see what had caught their attention before going back over to them, standing next to Chimchar.

Chimchar asked, "Excuse me, is something going on?"

Everyone turned to face them, both Shinx and his sister's face lighting up at seeing Chimchar and Piplup. "Oh! Team Poképals! Thanks again for helping my sister!" he exclaimed. The younger Shinx also said her thanks to the duo.

Marill spoke, "Some time ago, we lost an item that's pretty important to us... We've been looking all over... But we haven't found it yet!" He then turned to the larger Pokémon, saying, "Then Mr. Drowzee came along... And he says he may have seen our lost item somewhere!" He turned back to the trio and said, "He even offered to help us look for it. We're so happy about this!"

Bidoof smiled, "By golly, that's great for you two! Yup yup!"

Azurill turned to Drowzee and said, "Thank you, Mr. Drowzee!"

Drowzee waved a hand in front of him, "Oh please... I'd have to have a cold heart to ignore kids in need! I can't turn a blind eye! Let us be on our way to begin our search!" Both Azurill and Marill agreed, so they turned to head out of the square, Drowzee following behind. As he passed Piplup, he accidentally bumped into him. "Whoops! Terribly sorry," Drowzee said before he followed the two siblings.

Unbeknownst to everyone present, that brief moment of contact ended up causing Piplup to have another vision, a streak of white shooting across his forehead as his body seemed to change colors, unnoticed by anyone else. "_It's happening again...?_" he asked in his head.

_**Piplup's vision**_

_Azurill and Drowzee were in a rocky area, possibly on the top of a mountain. "If you keep being difficult, it will mean big trouble for you!" Drowzee said as he approached Azurill._

_"H-h-h... HELP!" Azurill screamed._

_**End of vision**_

"That Drowzee sure is a nice Pokémon, isn't he?" Chimchar was asking.

"Yup yup! With more and more bad Pokémon around, it's hard to do good deeds these days," Bidoof agreed.

"I hope they find their item soon," Chimchar said. He then noticed Piplup had hardly moved since Drowzee bumped into him and asked, "Hey, Piplup, what's the matter?"

Piplup turned around with a start and stuttered, "Oh, uh... I was just wondering if they're going to be all right with just Drowzee around. I mean, after all that talk about there being bad Pokémon around and all that..."

Bidoof said, "Oh, I'm sure they'll be fine! Drowzee seems like a good fellow, by golly. Shall we get back to the guild now?"

Piplup said, "Uh, why don't you go on ahead, Bidoof? There's something I want to tell Chimchar before we go after an outlaw."

Bidoof shrugged, "Uh, okay. Just don't take too long." With that, he started making his way back to the Wigglytuff Guild, leaving Piplup and Chimchar alone with Shinx and his sister. Piplup then asked Chimchar to come over to the Duskull Bank with him, leaving the two Shinx alone.

Once they were standing alongside the path, Chimchar asked, "So what is it you wanted to tell me, Piplup?"

Piplup took a deep breath, then went into talk mode, "Okay, so when Drowzee bumped me, I briefly had a vision! In it, Drowzee was threatening Azurill in a mountainous area and Marill was nowhere to be seen! So I think we should go after them and make sure Azurill is safe! It's an emergency!"

Chimchar blinked twice before saying, "Okay... Well, that definitely sounds like an emergency, but... Well, it's not like I don't trust you, Piplup, but... I just don't know. I mean, Drowzee seemed like a really nice Pokémon, didn't he? And the three of them looked like they were having fun as they went." He then smiled, "Maybe you're still tired, Piplup. Maybe that's why that weird Piplup humor is coming out again."

Piplup placed a wing on the side of his face as he said, "I guess you're right..." But what he was really thinking was, "_It couldn't be just a bad daydream. I mean, the same thing happened that night and then again in Labyrinth Cave._"

Chimchar added, "Besides, we're still apprentices for Guildmaster Wigglytuff. We can't go wherever we feel like. Sure, I'm worried about them too, but we have to concentrate on our guild work for now. So let's go find Bidoof." Piplup nodded, so they both made their way back to the crossroads and headed up the stairs to the guild entrance.

Once inside the guild, they found Bidoof waiting for them in front of the Outlaw Notice Board. When he saw them, Bidoof asked, "All done with whatever you needed to do?" When they nodded, Bidoof said, "Oh, yes sirree! I reckon you all are all ready! Then let's pick ourselves a lawbreaker for you to find." They looked up at the board, Bidoof saying, "Well, you've got your pick of this sorry bunch of characters. As your mentor, how about I do the choosing?"

Chimchar replied, "Okay, but don't choose anyone too scary!"

Bidoof nodded, "Yes sirree, I hear you! Let's see. Eenie, meenie..."

Suddenly, what sounded like an alarm was heard and a voice was heard behind the Outlaw Notice Board, "Stand clear! Updating listings! Stand clear! Updating listings!"

The three of them took a step back when the wall began to rumble, Piplup asking, "What's going on?"

Bidoof answered, "Oh, the data's getting updated."

Piplup looked at him, "Updated?" Suddenly, the panel the board was on flipped around, showing the back of it. "Whoa! The panel just flipped over! Who did that?" he asked.

Bidoof explained, "The Outlaw Notice Board and Job Bulletin Board are set up on revolving panels. While the panel is flipped over, a Pokémon named Dugtrio swaps out the old jobs with new ones. That's Dugtrio's duty, you see. He tunnels his way to our guild, then he flips the panel and updates the data. This duty doesn't get noticed much, but it's very important. Yup yup! That's why Dugtrio takes such great pride in the duty he does!"

Chimchar's eyes sparkled as he said, "Wow! That is so cool!"

They then heard Dugtrio say, "Update completed! Stand clear! Update completed! Stand clear!" They turned back to the wall to see the board flip back around to the side with the posters.

Bidoof said, "Yes sirree! The data is updated. The list of outlaws has been refreshed, so let's pick one." He then noticed both Piplup and Chimchar seemed to be trembling and asked, "Huh? What's ailing you two? Why are you all shivering all of a sudden?" He glanced around before saying, "It's not cold here, after all."

Piplup muttered, "That poster... It's been moved from the bottom right to the top left, but it's still the same outlaw."

Chimchar spoke, "It's Drowzee! H-he's a wanted criminal!" He turned to Piplup and said, "We have to get moving! Azurill will be in danger!" With that, both Chimchar and Piplup ran over to the ladder, scrambling up out of the guild.

Bidoof, who didn't really catch everything that was just said, stood there and asked, "Now what's going on? Where are you all off to?"

Outside, Chimchar and Piplup were running down the stairs when Piplup called, "Look! There's Marill!"

The Aqua Mouse Pokémon noticed them coming down the stairs and ran over, meeting them at the crossroads. "Marill, what's the matter? Where are Azurill and Drowzee?" Chimchar asked.

Marill explained, "Yes... about them...! After we all left, we went looking for our lost item together... But I wound up all alone when Mr. Drowzee went somewhere with Azurill. I called and called, but they didn't come back. I got scared..."

Chimchar asked, "So which way did they go?"

Marill said, "Th-this way!" He ran out on the path leading out of town, Piplup and Chimchar following.

They eventually arrived at the foot of Mt. Bristle. "You think they went this way?" Piplup asked.

Marill nodded, "Yes..."

Chimchar turned to Piplup and said, "Piplup, the Drowzee and Azurill you saw in your dream... You said they were in a mountainous area, right?" Piplup nodded, so Chimchar said, "I get the feeling that they're up ahead here. Let's hurry, Piplup!" With that, they hurried up the nearby slope, making their way up the mountain while Marill waited for them.

Team Poképals ran up the mountain slopes as fast as they could. Along the way, they encountered various Machop, Spinarak, Doduo, and Geodude, along with Starly that came close in their search for food. As they got closer to the top, they also started seeing Nidorino and Nidorina along the path they were taking.

At the summit, Azurill and Drowzee were approaching a wall where a small hole could be seen in the rock. Azurill, not noticing the little hole, said, "Uh-oh. It's a dead end." He turned around to face Drowzee and said, "Excuse me, Mr. Drowzee. Where is my lost item? Could you show me where the item is now?"

Drowzee replied, "Sorry, kiddo. Your lost item? It's not here, that's for sure."

Azurill was confused, then realized something. "My... big brother... My big brother's following us, right? He's coming soon?" he asked.

Drowzee answered, "Nope. Your big brother's not coming. I'll let you in on a little secret. This was all a trick. I deceived you." Azurill let out a surprised cry, after which Drowzee continued, "But let's not dwell on that. There's a little favor I need to ask. See that hole behind you?" Azurill turned to see the hole while Drowzee said, "There's a rumor that there's a trove of thief treasure inside there! But as you can see, I'm too big to squirm my way through that hole. And that's where you come in!" Azurill turned back to him, startled. "Don't worry. Just do as I say. Do that, then I'll help you get back out of there."

Azurill took a step back, "B-but..."

Drowzee said, "Go on, get going!" He took a step forward, "Go into that hole. And don't forget to bring back the treasure!"

Azurill cried, "I want my big brother!" He then ran around Drowzee, heading for the path leading back down the mountain.

"H-hey! Stop that!" Drowzee exclaimed, running after Azurill. He managed to get around the Polka Dot Pokémon, forcing him to stop. "Sheesh! I said that I'll take you home when you're done! If you keep being difficult, it will mean big trouble for you!" he said. He began to approach Azurill.

"H-h-h... HELP!" Azurill screamed.

Suddenly, they both heard Chimchar shout, "Hold it right there!" They looked to see Piplup and Chimchar running towards them. As they stood in front of Drowzee, Chimchar said, "We won't let you do that! Drowzee, you bully!"

Drowzee groaned, "H-how did you find this place?"

Chimchar said, "We're Team Poképals! An exploration team! No criminal can escape us!"

Drowzee exclaimed, "An exploration team? You came to apprehend..." He stopped short, noticing Chimchar seemed to be shaking. "...Huh? Are you... trembling?" He then grinned, "Aha! I've figured it out! You say you're on an exploration team, but you're total rookies! Ha ha ha! I've been chased by all sorts of exploration teams in my day, but never a sorrier-looking bunch than you two!"

Noticing how Chimchar was struck by those words, Piplup spoke up, "Yeah, well you're not much of a feared criminal, Drowzee! You had to separate Azurill from his brother to pull this off! If you were a really bad criminal, you'd be able to handle both of them, wouldn't you?"

His spirit brought back by Piplup's words, Chimchar added, "Yeah, that's right! There's no way we're going to lose to a bad guy like you!"

Drowzee sneered, "Heh. You two like to put words into each other's mouths, don't you? I'm still a wanted Pokémon with a bounty on my head. Can you two do the job? Can you bring this outlaw to justice? This should be a laugh. Let's see if you can take me down. Show me what you've got!"

Drowzee attacked first, coming at the two with a Pound attack. They both leapt out of the way, Drowzee flying past harmlessly, and Chimchar tried an Ember attack after landing. Drowzee was quick, though, and managed to stop the attack with Confusion. Piplup tried to attack from behind with a Peck attack, only to have Drowzee smack him away with another Pound attack. Drowzee then tried to hit him with a Hypnosis attack, but Piplup closed his eyes to keep from looking at the movements of Drowzee's arms and hands.

Seeing that Drowzee wasn't paying any attention to him, Chimchar slammed into him from behind with a Flame Wheel, which he learned while they were climbing up Mt. Bristle. Hearing the hit, Piplup opened his eyes and, while Drowzee was flying towards him, hit him head-on with a Peck attack, sending him back and up a bit before he hit the ground.

Drowzee managed to get up and hit Piplup with a Disable attack, the former human freezing in place and unable to protect himself. Drowzee then ran over, trying to hit him with another Pound, but Chimchar was faster and hit him with Fury Swipes. Drowzee managed to slap him away with a Pound attack after a moment, but Piplup had recovered by then and fired a BubbleBeam at him, knocking him away from Chimchar, giving the Chimp Pokémon a chance to get up. Drowzee slumped a bit, a hand on the ground as he was down on one knee, but faced the two and tried to hit them with Hypnosis. Chimchar closed his eyes, as did Piplup, and gave him one last Ember attack, using the sound Drowzee was making to help him aim his attack. After it hit, Drowzee slumped to the ground soon afterwards.

With Drowzee defeated, both Chimchar and Piplup ran over to Azurill, Chimchar saying, "We came to rescue you. Are you all right? You're not hurt, are you?"

Azurill replied, "I'm okay."

Piplup said, "That's a relief. Come on, let's get Drowzee and get you back to your brother." Azurill nodded and they all headed over to Drowzee, who was still knocked out, and began to push him down the mountain's slope.

At the bottom, they found two Magnemite and a Magnezone waiting for them. By now, Drowzee was beginning to regain consciousness, so the two Magnemite flew around him in case he decided to try anything. Piplup, Chimchar, and Azurill went over to Magnezone, who said, "ZZZT! I am Magnezone, the primary officer in this region! ZZZT! We received word from the Wigglytuff Guild that you two were pursuing a wanted outlaw!"

Chimchar said, "That must've been Bidoof's doing."

Magnezone nodded, "Good work in capturing this outlaw! We owe you great thanks for your cooperation! ZZZT!" He and his fellow Magnemite officers gave the team a kind of salute before Magnezone continued, "ZZZT! We will send the reward to your guild. Thank you again! ZZZT!" He then floated over to Drowzee and said, "ZZZT! Now come with us! ZZZT!" Drowzee groaned as he was led away by the officers.

Suddenly, Piplup, Chimchar, and Azurill heard Marill's voice, "Azurill!" They turned to see him coming towards them.

"Marill!" Azurill exclaimed, running over to him. Once they reached each other, Azurill cried, "Waaaaah! Marill! It was so scary!"

Marill asked, "You okay, Azurill? Are you hurt?"

Chimchar spoke, "He's fine. Drowzee didn't hurt him in any way."

Marill sighed, "Really? That's a relief! Oh, Azurill... Azurill..." The two siblings then faced Team Poképals and Marill said, "You did this all for us, Piplup and Chimchar. We won't forget what you did for us. Thank you so much." He then turned to his brother and said, "Come on, Azurill. You too."

Azurill nodded, "Yup..." He then faced the two and said, "Thank you very much! Thank you for rescuing me!"

Marill added, "Really... Really thank you!"

**Later, back at the Wigglytuff Guild**

Chatot, who was standing in front of the Outlaw Notice Board, was facing Piplup and Chimchar. "I've received the bounty from Officer Magnezone for the captured outlaw! Well done, you two! Here's your share from the job. It's yours to keep!" He then handed them 300 Poké while he held onto the remaining 2,700 Poké.

"What? This is all we get? After all that work?" Chimchar asked.

Chatot replied after a moment, "Yes. I told you, the guild receives the majority of the spoils. When it comes to money, the guild receives 90% of the reward. But don't worry! That's all part of the training! And we expect just as much effort tomorrow!" He then hopped away, giggling.

"Ugh, I still don't like that very much..." Chimchar sighed.

"Well, it's the guild rules. What can we do?" Piplup shrugged. He then added, "Besides, we rescued Azurill. That's good, right?"

Chimchar brightened up, "Yeah! And it's all thanks to that dream you had, Piplup! Thanks to that, we were able to get to Azurill before something bad happened!" Piplup nodded, thinking to himself, "_I wonder if I should tell him about the other two times... Well, maybe it's not that important now._"

**Later that evening...**

Chimchar looked out the window in their room at the storm going on outside. "Wow, it looks like we're in for a big storm tonight," he said. He then turned to Piplup, who was sitting in his bed, and said, "You know, there was a storm like this a few nights ago. Then just two days ago, I found you unconscious on the beach… Have you started to remember anything, Piplup? Like how you got there or about being a human?"

Piplup shook his head, then said, "Hey, that day... What are these Time Gears that Chatot was talking about? The ones that this Grovyle is stealing?"

Chimchar explained, "They say that the Time Gears are hidden in secret places around the world. Like in a forest or in an underground cave... Time Gears rest at the center of such places. They protect time and keep time flowing properly in a region. I guess removing a Time Gear will interrupt the flow of time in the region it was removed from. It's long been believed that removing them will cause disaster. And I used to think that even the most hardened criminal wouldn't dare do something like that. Which is why it's so surprising that Grovyle has already taken two."

Piplup nodded, understanding somewhat. "I said he seemed like a bad Pokémon when I first heard about him, but now I wonder... What's he taking them for?"

Chimchar shrugged, then said, "Well, there's no point wondering about it now. I just hope he can't find any of the others. And we'd better try to get some sleep now so we can wake up early tomorrow." Piplup nodded and removed his Joy Ribbon while Chimchar took off his Defense Scarf and the pendant he had had since Piplup met him, both of them laying down. Piplup briefly considered asking him about his pendent, but then noticed that Chimchar's flame was beginning to go out, a sign that he was beginning to fall asleep. Piplup decided to ask him about it later, laying down and trying to get some sleep himself, wondering what tomorrow would bring.

* * *

So what'd you guys think? Feel free to leave a review!

Music:

World of the Future - 1580 (Version A) (Shadow of Destiny/Memories)

Following Dusknoir - 2000 (Version B) (Shadow of Destiny/Memories)

A New Day - Wigglytuff's Guild (PMD: EoT/EoD/EoS)

Seeing the Town and Meeting Drowzee - Treasure Town (PMD: EoT/EoD/EoS)

The Vision - Those Who Come Closer (Final Fantasy X)

Drowzee the Criminal, Searching for Azurill - Aljir Prison Escape/Agency Bio Labs Escape (Syphon Filter 2)

Battle with Drowzee - Masker (Bomberman 64 The Second Attack!)

First Fugitive Captured! - Redial (Bomberman Hero)

Story of the Time Gears - Stage Select (Bomberman 64 The Second Attack!)


	2. Sentry Duty, Sneaking Around

It's been several days since Team Poképals apprehended Drowzee, their first outlaw, to rescue Marill's little brother, Azurill. Since then, Piplup and Chimchar have settled into the life of an exploration team in training, Piplup getting somewhat used to waking up early in the morning and Chimchar learning about some of the other mystery dungeons close to Treasure Town, including Beach Cave and Drenched Bluff. Because they've done a few jobs in both of these dungeons, as well as Mt. Bristle, Chatot has mentioned that they could be close to moving up to Bronze Rank, something Chimchar was thrilled to hear.

On this morning, Team Poképals received their usual wake-up call. "UP AND AT 'EM! IT'S MORNING!" Loudred bellowed into their room, the walls shaking slightly due to the sound waves bouncing off of them. Before he was even through, Chimchar's flame sprang to life as both he and Piplup tried to cover their ears as best they could. Once Loudred was done, he exited their room, leaving them alone with the ringing in their ears.

"Ugh… I know Loudred's just doing his job, but still…" Piplup muttered as he rubbed his forehead.

Chimchar shook his head for a moment before looking over at Piplup and saying, "Good morning, Piplup… Do you feel okay?"

Piplup, as he sat up, replied, "Sure, though I think it's going to be a long time before I get used to waking up to that every morning."

Chimchar giggled, "Yeah, I know what you mean. Come on, we'd better get to the morning assembly." Piplup nodded and they both grabbed their items from their Treasure Bag, Piplup grabbing his Joy Ribbon while Chimchar pulled out his Defense Scarf. After Chimchar put on his pendent, which Piplup was still curious about, they left their room and made their way out of the guild.

"Three!"

"SMILES GO FOR MILES!" With that, the Wigglytuff Guild's morning words of encouragement were done, all of the guild's members fired up for the day ahead of them.

"Okay, Pokémon! Time to get to work!" Chatot said, all of the guild members cheering afterwards. Except for Team Poképals and Loudred, who stopped near the ladder leading down, they all dispersed back into the guild.

Piplup turned to Chimchar and asked, "So what kind of jobs do you think we should handle today?"

Chimchar thought a moment before replying, "Well, I think there were a few requests on the Job Bulletin Board involving Mt. Bristle. Maybe we could tackle those today."

Before they could move, Loudred yelled, "Now hold it right THERE, rookies!" Both Piplup and Chimchar winced for a moment before looking at Loudred, who continued, "We need your help with something today! Follow me!" He then shimmied down the ladder into the guild, Piplup and Chimchar following him down.

As they reached the first floor of the guild, they found Loudred waiting for them to catch up. Before he could start climbing down the next ladder, Chimchar asked, "Hey Loudred, what do you need us for today, anyway?"

Loudred answered, "You'll SEE when we get there! Now shut your yap!" He then went down the next ladder while Chimchar looked down at Piplup, who shrugged his shoulders before climbing down the rest of the way and following after Loudred, Chimchar right behind him.

Down on the second floor, Loudred led them over to a small hole with a vine protruding out of it. Diglett was patiently waiting next to the hole, humming a nostalgic-sounding melody to himself. Loudred spoke, "Diglett, I brought them!"

The Mole Pokémon turned to him and said, "Thank you, Loudred."

Loudred turned to Team Poképals and said, "You two are doing sentry duty today!"

Diglett spoke, "Sorry. I'm usually the one to do sentry duty. But today, my dad gave me his job of updating the boards. That's why I can't man my post. It would be great if you guys could take over for sentry duty today." He then gave a smile, as best as he was able to, and said, "And that's why you're here. Please do a good job for me. Bye!" He then disappeared underground before either Piplup or Chimchar had a chance to say anything.

Loudred smiled at them, "…And that's THAT."

Piplup placed his wings on his hips and said, "Okay, you're going to have to back up, because I didn't catch all that. What are we doing and why?"

Loudred glared at him and yelled, loud enough to send him flying backwards, "I DON'T WANT TO HEAR YOUR BELLYACHING! GO DO YOUR DUTY!"

Piplup, his eyes swirling around after he landed, groaned as he lay on his back on the ground, "Ow… Was that really necessary…?"

After Piplup recovered and came back over, Chimchar asked, "So what are we supposed to do again?"

Loudred pointed at the vine sticking out of the hole as he said, "Climb down this hole and stand guard. You're on sentry duty!"

Piplup asked, "Sentry duty?"

Loudred nodded, "That's right. Sentry duty. We can't have suspicious characters coming into the guild. So we station a sentry below the guild entrance to evaluate Pokémon visitors. You two probably don't know that since you bypassed security when you joined the guild."

Chimchar asked, "Bypassed? Wait…"

_**Flashback**_

"_Uh, of course, I've never actually met the guy…" Chimchar muttered as he looked down at the ladder leading into the Wigglytuff Guild._

_Piplup heard him speaking, though he didn't catch the actual words, and came right up beside him, asking, "What did you say?"_

_Chimchar nervously turned to him and waved his hands in front of him, saying, "Eh, nothing! Uh, let's go." He then started walking towards the ladder as Piplup looked at him suspiciously._

_Suddenly a voice, seemingly out of nowhere, called, "Intruder alert!" Both Piplup and Chimchar glanced back over their shoulders, turning around completely when a Diglett popped out of the ground right behind them. "Intruder alert! Intruder alert!" he said, spinning around in a circle like an alarm light. Piplup was shocked by his sudden appearance and jumped backwards, bumping into Chimchar and sending them both falling down the hole._

**End flashback**

Chimchar giggled nervously, "Oh yeah, I guess we did…"

Piplup spoke, "Okay, so you want us to climb down this hole. And then?"

Loudred explained, "The tunnel down there leads to the sentry post. Diglett burrows through it and pops out underneath the sentry post. From the sentry post, Diglett inspects the footprints of visitors, identifies them, then informs me. Then I decide if the Pokémon is suspicious or not and open the gate if he passes muster. So we serve as the guild's gatekeepers. That's the gist of it."

Chimchar said, "I think I get it…"

Loudred said, "Look, all you two have to do is inspect the footprints of visitors, then tell me what Pokémon they are. Do you get it now?" When both Piplup and Chimchar nodded, he said, "Good! Then let's get to WORK! Buck up and do a GOOD job!" With that, Piplup and Chimchar climbed down the vine into the hole. When they reached the bottom, they made their way through the tunnel with the help of Chimchar's flame, eventually reaching the sentry post and letting Loudred know, who told them to be ready for when visitors started to show up.

Team Poképals sat under the beam of sunlight coming in through the grate above them, waiting for someone to come. Suddenly, a new shadow was cast down in the center of the circle of light. Both Piplup and Chimchar looked up towards the grate, finding it hard to see the Pokémon due to how far down they were. Loudred called, "We've got visitors! Check their footprints and tell me who they are!"

Piplup looked up at the footprint carefully, knowing it looked familiar to him somehow. Suddenly, it clicked and, after confirming it with Chimchar, called to Loudred, "The footprint is Riolu's! The footprint is Riolu's!"

Loudred called back, "Gotcha!" He then called out to the Pokémon outside, "The rest of you stand over the hole, one at a time!"

Chimchar and Piplup watched as the Riolu above moved off the grate, replaced by a talon type of footprint. Chimchar recognized it first and called, "The footprint is Starly's! The footprint is Starly's!"

Team Poképals continued to identify the Pokémon above them, guessing that the other three were a Kecleon, a Chimchar, and an Eevee. When they were done, Loudred called, "Okay, come in, visitors!" After about a minute, he called back down to Team Poképals, "Yep! You two got all the members of that team right! Stay sharp, though! More will be coming!"

Later that afternoon, Diglett finished doing his dad's work and popped out of the ground next to Loudred, startling the Big Voice Pokémon. After he calmed down, Diglett said, "Sorry to keep you waiting."

Loudred glared at him for a moment before calling to Team Poképals, "Chimchar and Piplup! That'll do it! Now get back here!" At his call, the two of them made their way back through the tunnel, climbing up the vine to get back up to the main area of the guild.

As they stepped back up onto the second floor of the guild, they noticed that Chatot was with Loudred. Upon seeing them, he spoke, "You've worked an honest day, you two! Let me review your sentry duty performance…" After a moment of looking over Loudred's report, he said, "Well, well! Your results were… completely perfect! Every visitor was identified correctly! "

Loudred grinned, "Excellent!"

Chimchar turned and smiled at Piplup, "Yeah, we did it!"

Chatot smiled, "We'll reward your efforts! Generously, I might add! You all deserve an especially large reward! " Their reward consisted of 500 Poké, a Joy Seed, a Ginseng, and a Life Seed! He then added, "Keep up the good work!" Both Piplup and Chimchar did a victory pose at Chatot's praise, glad that he was proud that they did a good job.

That evening, everyone ate their meal in the mess hall as though it were their last, all of them starving after a long day of work. After dinner, Piplup and Chimchar talked with some of the other members of the guild before they headed for their bedroom, ready to get some sleep. They both vowed to make tomorrow another good day, falling asleep soon afterwards.

Grovyle panted slightly as he came to a stop near the northern end of the floating island, resting his claws on his knees. He had been running for a while now, trying to catch up with Dusknoir and his Sableye underlings. After a moment, he stood up straight and looked up towards the west, eyeing his destination: a large tower floating in the air that appeared to be mostly collapsed.

The Wood Gecko Pokémon looked around, trying to determine the best way to reach the tower on foot. Dusknoir, obviously, would have no trouble reaching the tower, but surely he couldn't have carried all those Sableye on his shoulders? After a moment, he noticed the rocks that were floating in the air nearby, which gave him an idea. He ran over to one of the closer rocks and leapt up to it, landing on top of it. He then looked for the next closest one, which wasn't too hard to do thanks to him being used to almost constant darkness. Once he spotted it, he continued to make his way up towards the tower, using Quick Attack to reach the farther rocks and Leaf Blade to grip onto the sides of the rocks that would be harder to stand on top of.

Little by little, Grovyle steadily made his way closer to the tower until he reached the ground at the base of it, landing a short distance away from a small set of stairs leading up to the entrance. He glanced up at the tower; he had seen it from far away in the past, but he had never actually been anywhere close to it. There were multiple holes and cracks around the entryway, and even the stairs had their share of cracks. He glanced over at the Kangaskhan Rock next to the entrance for a moment before muttering, "All right. Let's see what's inside Temporal Tower." Steeling himself, he made his way inside.

The inside of the tower didn't look much better than the outside did, as even more cracks covered the floors and walls, and Grovyle occasionally had to jump from one floating piece of the floor to the next. He did his best to avoid detection while he made his way up the tower, not wanting anyone to alert Dusknoir or Primal Dialga. He made his way up the tower while avoiding Magnemite, Zubat, Bronzong, Golbat, Drowzee, Kadabra, Gastly, Ditto, Claydol, and Mismagius, only attacking them when the need arose. He didn't want to be caught, but he also didn't want to miss whatever Dialga was going to be telling Dusknoir.

Eventually, he reached the eleventh floor of the tower, which, thankfully, was a safe area. He rested on the ground for a minute, saying, "It's not easy to avoid being caught, but I suppose I'm doing all right. I just hope it's not too much further to the top; I don't want to have come here for nothing just because of all this tactical espionage action." After a moment, he stood up again and left the floor, making his way up the Temporal Spire.

Eventually, after dodging around various Magneton, Bronzong, Golbat, Hypno, Alakazam, Gastly, Ditto, Claydol, Mismagius, Crobat, and Porygon2, he reached the tenth floor of the spire. As he walked around, he caught sight of the Sableye, noticing that they were standing around a doorway that led outside. "_There's the Sableye, but where's Dusknoir? Is he on the next floor?_" Grovyle wondered to himself. He quickly ducked into a nearby alcove, just under one of the cracks in the ceiling, and began to think about how he was going to distract the Sableye so he could move on.

Suddenly, he heard what sounded like a growl above him, "GRRRRRRRRR…" Curious, Grovyle moved closer to the crack, trying to see if he could hear what was going on above him.

He heard Dusknoir speak, "…No, Master Dialga. There has been no sign of Grovyle since he left us. He seems to be avoiding contact with other Pokémon; a wise move on his part. He can't hide from us forever, though. We'll find him soon. But what is it that you called us back here for?" Grovyle remained where he was, listening carefully.

Dialga spoke again, "GRRRRRRRRR…"

Dusknoir asked, "…Really? A Pokémon that is capable of time travel? I agree with you completely, Master Dialga. A Pokémon like that could pose a threat to you if it knew how to alter the timeline."

Grovyle muttered, "A Pokémon that can travel through time? Interesting…" He tried to get closer to the crack to see what else he could catch.

Dusknoir asked, "Master Dialga, do you know where this Pokémon is located?" After Primal Dialga gave another growl, Dusknoir said, "…Somewhere past the Sealed Ruins. I understand, master. I will locate this Pokémon and capture it for you." After a moment, he said, "Before I go, we're still working on the… other project you assigned to us. I believe we're getting close to locating them." Grovyle raised an eye at this, "_Other project? Who else is Primal Dialga looking for? Some kind of group?_"

Suddenly, a Porygon2 came across Grovyle's hiding place and a digital, red exclamation mark appeared above its head. Grovyle gasped at this and extended one of his Leaf Blades, slashing the Virtual Pokémon across the face. This threw its aim off and it fired a Signal Beam in the direction of the Sableye, startling them. One of them leapt at the Porygon2, slashing it and sending them both rolling past Grovyle's hiding place while the other Sableye had to deal with other Pokémon that saw the attack and thought that the Porygon2 had tried to attack the Sableye, causing them to join the 'fight.'

Above the noise, Grovyle heard Dusknoir say, "Those Sableye… Always starting up something… I will deal with them, Master Dialga, and then we'll start searching for this Pokémon that can time travel." Grovyle growled at this and reached into his bag, pulling out an Escape Orb and using it to warp out of Temporal Tower.

As it dealt with a Claydol, one of the Sableye said, "Wheh-heh-heh! You should've known better than to mess with us! I'll make you regret this! You won't dare-" He was cut off in mid-sentence when a sudden Shadow Punch sent the Claydol flying. "What? Who did…? Uh-oh…" the Sableye gulped as he saw who used the Shadow Punch.

Dusknoir lowered his hand and turned to glare at the Sableye, "What do you think you're doing? You know better than to fight like this so close to Master Dialga!" Before any of the Sableye could respond, Dusknoir said, "We'll talk about this later. We've got to get moving and carry out Master Dialga's wishes." As he began to float in the direction of the stairs leading down, all of the Sableye slowly shuffling along in formation behind him, he stopped and glanced over at the alcove Grovyle had been hiding in. "_Hmm… What is this feeling? Could it be…?_"

Outside of Temporal Tower, a blue light shone for a moment before fading, Grovyle appearing from it. He was crouched down when he appeared, standing up a moment later and saying, "I need to locate this Pokémon that can time travel before Dusknoir does. Not only are they in danger, but perhaps they can tell me what happened that led to this world that we live in." He considered what he had overheard as he began making his way down the pathway of floating rocks, remembering that the only location beyond the Sealed Ruins was also one of the places he used to go to frequently: the Dusk Forest.

* * *

Yeah, I realize that not much happens on either side during this chapter. There should be some action for both Team Poképals and Grovyle next chapter, though.

The Pokémon that were identified at the start of the sentry duty all characters that belong to RandomPerson422 at Deviantart. For now, they're just making a cameo, but there's a chance that they'll meet Team Poképals at some point.

Oh, and slight MGS references during Grovyle's part. Just clearing it up for anyone who raised an eyebrow while reading.


	3. Sealed Off, Stolen Property

Grovyle panted slightly as he leaned against a rocky wall, his left claw pressed against the wall while his right claw rested on his knee. "I guess it's been a while I last had a mission, let alone a mission where I had to reach a mystery dungeon before someone else. Eluding Dusknoir and his Sableye isn't quite the same as this; they haven't been able to locate me yet, so I've never needed to constantly be on the move like this," he sighed as he caught his breath.

He soon stood up straight and said, "No, my exhaustion doesn't matter right now. I've got to stay focused on my mission! The path to Temporal Tower allowed me to bypass Chasm Cave and Dark Hill, so I'm not far from Dusk Forest now. All I need to do is get through the Sealed Ruin and I'll be there. I'll worry about finding this Pokémon that can time travel then." He then dashed around the corner, underneath a stone arch surrounding the entrance to the Sealed Ruin.

Initially, Grovyle didn't find any trouble as he followed the path he remembered to get to the bottom of the Sealed Ruin. He looked as hard as he could while he alternated between walking and running, but he couldn't see any Pokémon. Unfortunately, he ended up finding trouble when he was about halfway to the more interior part of the Sealed Ruin. It was getting harder to see as he went further down and he ended up stepping on what appeared to be a blue vine. "What the…?" Grovyle asked when he felt it beneath his foot. He looked to the side and immediately found an angry Tangrowth looking back at him.

"Oh great!" Grovyle growled as he jumped backwards, sliding back a bit when he landed. The Vine Pokémon stepped out of the alcove it had been resting in, blocking Grovyle's path. Almost immediately, it tried to grab him with a Bind attack, but Grovyle ducked beneath its hands to avoid it. "I don't have time for this! There aren't many other paths through this cave, and this is the most direct way to get to the bottom!" he muttered. After thinking for a moment, he backed up a step and then shot towards the Tangrowth in a Quick Attack. He managed to knock it onto its back and used his claws to propel himself over it. He continued running after he landed; the attack might've knocked it over, but he knew it wasn't knocked out.

It managed to get up sooner than he expected and immediately ran after him, even angrier than before. For being such a big bulk of vines, it ran surprisingly fast and soon caught sight of Grovyle again, even as dark as it was. At first, it attempted to knock Grovyle off his feet with Vine Whip and Power Whip, but its accuracy with those moves wasn't the best when it was moving and Grovyle was agile enough to avoid them. Fed up, the Tangrowth tried something different; it first used Slam, which Grovyle dodged, and then used Block, releasing a beam of energy from its body towards Grovyle. The energy, having been fired in the direction Grovyle had dodged in, struck him from behind, causing him to stop in place.

While Grovyle struggled to break free of the attack, the Tangrowth prepared an AncientPower attack, its body glowing white as it created a silver energy ball between its hands. When the attack was ready, it threw the ball at Grovyle, hitting him in the back and sending him flying. He ended up in the next room, where he slammed into the side of a Shelgon. The Endurance Pokémon was so startled that it fired a DragonBreath when Grovyle hit it, the thick green beam hitting a Metang in the passage across from it.

The Iron Claw Pokémon flew into the room, heading for Shelgon and Grovyle with a Take Down attack. Shelgon leapt out of the way, leaving the Metang to fly harmlessly past Grovyle, who was still unable to move due to the Block attack. He was able to move again after another moment, but when he turned around, he saw the Tangrowth coming at him again. He leapt out of the way and hit it from behind with a Pound attack. After it recovered, it attempted to make Grovyle helpless by using Stun Spore, but Grovyle avoided the yellow dust cloud by using Dig.

The Tangrowth looked around frantically, expecting Grovyle to jump out and attack it, but he didn't. Instead, Grovyle resurfaced near the passage he wanted to be at, leaping out of the ground and dashing down the hallway. The Tangrowth saw him as he went down the passage, but couldn't get to him because the Metang and Shelgon were still fighting with each other, blocking it because they were either in the way or attacking each other from a distance. By the time Tangrowth had a chance to go after Grovyle, he was long gone.

Grovyle soon made it partway through the Sealed Ruin, stopping to rest for a moment in the room containing a Kangaskhan Rock. He muttered to himself, "I didn't mean to step on that Tangrowth… But it didn't look like he wanted to hear any excuses, so apologizing wouldn't have done anything." He then sighed as he let his head rest against the wall, "It's getting so much harder to find Pokémon that won't fight first and ask questions later. Sure, I still see some that will talk with me, even if we don't communicate quite the same way, but not as many as I used to. I hope this Pokémon I'm looking for will turn out to be friendly."

After resting for another minute, Grovyle stood up and continued on his way, going deeper underground. Compared to the commotion he ended up stirring on the upper floors, it was relatively quiet in the interior part of the ruins. When he reached the deepest part of the Sealed Ruin, he thought he heard some kind of moaning while he was there, but nobody answered him when he called. Figuring it was just an echo or he was hearing things, he moved on, heading for the nearby path leading out of the Sealed Ruin. He was through the dungeon, now it was just a little further to the Dusk Forest…

* * *

"Three!"

"SMILES GO FOR MILES!"

"Okay Pokémon, time to get to work!"

"HOORAY!" And with that, the Wigglytuff Guild's words of encouragement were done for the day. Everyone except Team Poképals and Chatot headed back into the guild, moving onto their duties for the day.

Chatot turned to Piplup and Chimchar and said, "Ah, you two! Let me give you your assignment for today…" When they turned to him, he said, "Look up jobs on the Job Bulletin Board and Outlaw Notice Board. Do the listed jobs. That will do for today! Understood? No shirking your work, okay?"

Chimchar replied, "Yes, sir!"

Chatot nodded, "Good. I'll leave it up to you two then." He then fluttered back inside the guild, followed shortly afterwards by Chimchar and Piplup.

After climbing down the ladder, Chimchar and Piplup decided to check out the Outlaw Notice Board. When they went over to it, though, they saw three Poochyena seated in front of the board. Curious, Chimchar walked over to them, Piplup following behind, and asked, "Excuse me, is something going on?"

The Poochyena on the left turned to him and, upon seeing him and Piplup, walked over. He sniffed both of them before saying, "This scent… You're Team Poképals, the newest recruits to the Wigglytuff Guild, right?"

Piplup nodded, "Yeah, that's us. Who are you three?"

The other two Poochyena came over, the one that had been in the middle saying, "We're the Poochyena Brothers; together, we're Team Poochy!"

The first Poochyena added, "We stick to tracking outlaws! We chase and chase and chase our targets… And then we catch them when they're too tired to move!"

Chimchar exclaimed, "Wow, that sounds really cool! You must chase down all kinds of outlaws!"

The third Poochyena spoke up, "Well, sort of. We mostly stick to the moderately dangerous outlaws, the ones that are troublesome and tough, but not overly. We leave the weaker ones for the newer teams and we're not tough enough yet to handle much above that level. Typically, we focus our efforts on 'C' ranked outlaws."

The second Poochyena said, "We're fine with that, though. We still have difficulties at times during our missions, but we're not going to push ourselves in order to get stronger. Other teams like to help catch outlaws too, after all."

Piplup nodded, then asked, "So did you find any jobs on the board today?"

The third Poochyena replied, "Sure did. We found a few notices for outlaws hiding out at Serenity River. It looks like the notices for the less dangerous outlaws have been picked over, but there are still a few left to check out."

The second Poochyena said, "Well, we should be going now. Good luck with your guild training, Team Poképals. Maybe we'll see you around." With that, the three Poochyena went past Piplup and Chimchar, leaving the guild to go search for their outlaws.

After they left, Piplup and Chimchar looked over the Outlaw Notice Board, noticing that Grovyle's poster was still plastered right in the center. Ignoring the picture of the Time Gear thief, they began to browse the available outlaws as well as the jobs on the bulletin board.

After they searched over both the Outlaw Notice Board and Job Bulletin Board for several minutes, they decided to take a bit of a risk and go for a 'B' ranked outlaw: a Glalie that had stolen a Critical Bow from a Farfetch'd. Apparently, after the Glalie had stolen the bow, it had run off to a mystery dungeon called Landslide Cave and was hiding out there. Saying goodbye to Swellow and Wurmple of Team Tasty, whom they had met while searching the boards for jobs, they left the guild and headed for the crossroads, making their way to Landslide Cave.

It took them a few hours to reach Landslide Cave, due to having to travel through a canyon near Tiny Meadow and search the bottom of a group of plateaus to locate the entrance. Once they managed to find it, they entered the cave and began searching for Glalie, who, according to the notice, would be somewhere deep inside the cave.

The inside of Landslide Cave reminded Piplup and Chimchar of their first mission in Labyrinth Cave with Sunflora, except that the walls and ground were a lighter shade of blue, almost a sky blue. As they searched the cave, they came across some of the Pokémon living there, including an angry Gible, a Venomoth that tried to confuse them with Supersonic and Confusion, and they had to sneak around an Ampharos and a Granbull that were battling each other, though it didn't look like a friendly brawl to them.

A while later, they were pretty deep inside the cave, still looking for Glalie when they heard the sound of someone laughing up ahead, so they moved on to investigate. They soon found themselves at the end of Landslide Cave, and in the center of the room, they saw a black Pokémon that appeared to be covered in ice, had two conical ears, blue eyes, and visible front teeth. "Is that him? Is that Glalie?" Piplup whispered to Chimchar.

"I think so. He seems to match the description on the notice, and he's the only Pokémon that we haven't seen more of while we were searching the cave," Chimchar replied. Since they didn't really have a plan in mind, seeing as they didn't know where they would find Glalie, they decided to confront him and get the Critical Bow back from him, even if it meant they had to battle him.

Glalie chuckled, "Heh heh heh! All these suckers I've been running into… It's like taking honey from a Butterfree! And none of the Pokémon in this cave are tough enough to stop me, so there's no problem with stashing my loot here!" He then thought for a moment before saying, "Hmm, I feel like scamming someone else now. I wonder who it will be this time!"

Chimchar shouted, "You won't be scamming anyone anymore!" Startled, Glalie turned around to face Piplup and Chimchar, Chimchar continuing, "Your thieving days are over, Glalie!"

Glalie exclaimed, "What the-? Who are you two?"

Piplup said, "We're Team Poképals and we're here to get back the item you stole!"

Glalie, now no longer shocked by the two Pokémon standing before him, chuckled, "What stolen item? I've stolen so much lately that I need a name to know what you're talking about."

Chimchar said, "We came for a Critical Bow you stole from a Farfetch'd, but we'll take back anything else you've stolen while we're at it!"

Glalie smirked, "Oh yeah? Well, it'd be a change to battle someone who doesn't fall with one hit! If you think you can beat me, bring it on! I ain't afraid of no Poképals!" With that, he shot towards the Exploration Team in a Headbutt, Piplup jumping to his right while Chimchar leapt to his left, both of them avoiding the attack.

After landing, Piplup turned around and fired a BubbleBeam at Glalie, who turned just in time to see it coming and floated up out of the path of the stream of bubbles. Afterwards, he shot at Piplup with an Ice Fang, his mouth open and his teeth glowing a light blue color. Piplup barely managed to get out of the way, Glalie's Ice Fang freezing the spot where he had been standing. While he was distracted, Chimchar tried to hit him from behind with Ember, but Glalie whirled around and retaliated with an Icy Wind, the two attacks canceling each other out.

Piplup groaned, "Argh! Man, he's tough!" After taking a moment to prepare, he dashed towards Glalie, his beak pointed directly in front of him. Glalie turned to see Piplup coming towards him, but didn't attempt to dodge the attack from the former human, allowing him to land his Fury Attack. Piplup jabbed him repeated with his beak several times, causing a bit of damage to the Face Pokémon, but almost immediately after the attack ended, Glalie opened his mouth and caught Piplup with a Crunch attack.

Chimchar tried to attack from behind with a Scratch attack, but Glalie did a complete 180° flip, bringing Piplup with him and slamming the penguin's back down on Chimchar's head just as he was about to attack. With the fire monkey temporarily incapacitated, Glalie flipped back to his original position, releasing Piplup in the process. This sent the Penguin Pokémon flying backwards until he landed and slid across the ground. It took him a minute to stand up, but when he did, he looked in Glalie's direction to see an Ice Beam coming at him! There wasn't enough time to dodge, so the light blue beams ended up freezing him into a block of ice.

"Piplup!" Chimchar exclaimed as he got up. Glaring at Glalie's back, he dashed towards the Face Pokémon and slammed into him, his arm in front of him as he did. Glalie turned around, an angry look on his face, and attempted to hit Chimchar with an Ice Beam, Chimchar leaping over it and curling up into a Flame Wheel in midair. He slammed right into Glalie's face and bounced off of him, heading in Piplup's direction. The Flame Wheel soon came into contact with the ice, rapidly melting the block of ice Piplup was frozen in. In a matter of moments, the penguin was free to move again.

Piplup shook off some of the water droplets left behind by the melting ice before saying, "Thanks, Chimchar."

The fire monkey replied, "No problem, Piplup. Now let's get this outlaw!" Piplup nodded and they turned to face Glalie. The Face Pokémon had recovered from being hit by the Flame Wheel and was now facing them, angrier than before.

"I've had it with you two!" he yelled, shooting towards them in another Headbutt. They easily dodged it, Glalie going past them and forcing himself to come to a stop. Turning around, he saw Piplup and Chimchar running towards him, Chimchar curling up into another Flame Wheel as he got close. Glalie floated upwards, out of the path of the Fire-type attack, Chimchar rolling underneath and past him harmlessly.

Glalie looked down to see where Piplup was, but instead got hit by a Peck attack! While Piplup was jabbing Glalie, Chimchar kept rolling across the cavern floor, heading for a rock. Before he hit it, he came out of his Flame Wheel, still heading for the rock with his feet pointing towards it. When he reached it, he rebounded off of it, heading for Glalie. Piplup saw him coming and immediately stopped attacking Glalie. The Face Pokémon attempted to catch him with his Crunch and Ice Beam combo again, only to get hit from behind with a Fury Swipes from Chimchar!

Upon landing, Piplup braced himself and attempted to hit Glalie with BubbleBeam while Chimchar tried to keep him from moving. Instead of a stream of bubbles, however, he fired a stream of salt water out of his mouth! When Chimchar saw it coming, he quickly let go of Glalie and leapt down, the stream of salt water sending Glalie flying. When the attack ended, Piplup wondered, "That wasn't BubbleBeam. What did I use this time?"

Chimchar said, "That looked like Brine to me. It must be because of the Joy Ribbon again!"

Piplup replied, "Again? That's great!" He then saw that Glalie was coming towards them again and said, "I'm sick of playing with this guy. How about we finish it up now?" Chimchar nodded and turned around to face Glalie as well.

When Glalie was close enough to Team Poképals, he fired an Ice Beam at them. Piplup and Chimchar responded by using Brine and Flamethrower respectively. The attacks met and held each other for several moments, both sides trying to put as much power into their attacks as they could, but Glalie's Ice Beam soon gave out. Brine and Flamethrower hit him hard and sent him flying back into a rock. He slid down the rock and came to rest on the floor with swirls in his eyes.

But they weren't done yet. They still had to get the Critical Bow back for Farfetch'd, and it looked like they were going to have to ask Glalie where it was. They quickly ran over to Glalie, Chimchar beginning to shake him to see if he would wake up. Piplup, meanwhile, was searching nearby to see if he could find it himself, even though he was sure he wouldn't be able to recognize it even if he found it. When he looked behind the rock Glalie had crashed into, he gasped, "Hey, look at this!"

Chimchar heard him and came behind the rock to see what had caught his attention. He soon saw it: a treasure box that had a few items sticking out from under its lid. "Whoa! Do you think Glalie keeps everything he stole in there?" Chimchar wondered.

"Maybe. Let's check," Piplup replied. They both walked up to the box and Piplup managed to push it open. They then looked inside at its contents, seeing various kinds of goods inside, many of which appeared to be items that would go great with certain kinds of Pokémon. "Can you see the Critical Bow that was stolen from Farfetch'd?" Piplup asked.

Chimchar shifted a few items inside the chest around for several moments before saying, "There it is!" He reached in and pulled out a bright red bow that had a few white spots on it. He put it in their Treasure Bag and said, "We'll keep it here until we get back to the Wigglytuff Guild. But if this is everything Glalie stole, how are we going to get it back to the guild?"

Piplup asked, "Well, how heavy is the chest?" They went along the sides of the chest and grabbed onto the bottom, both of them pulling up at the same time. It was a little heavy, but if they worked together and stopped a few times along the way back to Treasure Town, they could probably manage. Now that they knew, they positioned themselves so Piplup was walking in front while Chimchar carried it from the back and began making their way out of Landslide Cave. By the time Glalie woke up, Team Poképals was gone.

**Later, back at the Wigglytuff Guild**

"Excellent work, Team Poképals! We've confirmed that the items contained in this chest were stolen from other Pokémon! ZZT! We will contact any Pokémon that have reported they were robbed by Glalie and have them reclaim their belongings. We owe you great thanks for your cooperation! ZZT!" Officer Magnezone said. After giving Piplup and Chimchar a kind of siren salute, the two Magnemite came over and took the chest, leaving the guild with Officer Magnezone behind them.

Shortly afterwards, Farfetch'd arrived at the guild, having been called by Officer Magnezone, and Piplup and Chimchar returned the Critical Bow to him. After showering them with thanks, he gave them their reward, which consisted of Poké and a Petrify Orb. After he left, Chatot was quick to get a hold of 90% of the money, leaving the other 10% and the Petrify Orb as Team Poképals' share. Before either of them could say anything, Chatot added, "Oh, and I'd like to see your badges, if I may."

Piplup and Chimchar looked at each other in confusion before pulling out their badges. As they held them towards Chatot, Chimchar asked, "What do you want to see them for?"

Suddenly, Chatot swiped a wing over Chimchar's hand and Piplup's wing, grabbing both of their badges! They both looked shocked at this, but Chatot said, "I'll see you outside of the Guildmaster's room after tomorrow's morning words of encouragement. We have something we need to talk about." He then hopped away, going deeper into the guild.

Piplup and Chimchar looked at each other somewhat worriedly. Why didn't that sound like a good thing?

* * *

Music:

The Sealed Ruin - Cavern (Metal Gear Solid)

Misunderstanding - Blast Furnace Battle (Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes)

Out of the Ruin and Onto the Forest - Back to Normal (Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes)

Searching for a Job - Wigglytuff Guild (PMD: EoT/EoD/EoS)

Landslide Cave - PHARCOM Expo Center (Syphon Filter 2)

Team Poképals vs. Glalie - Bonus/Boss Channels (Gex 3: Deep Cover Gecko)

Mission Complete! - Victorious Roar (Okami/Okamiden)

This Can't Be Good... - Lose (Mario Kart 64)


	4. Old Friends, First Exploration

**Sealed Ruin Pit**

"And you are sure you saw him come this way?" Dusknoir asked. He was speaking to what appeared to be a swirling, purple vortex that had green orbs circling its green eyes and mouth. One of its eyes had a spiral-shaped pupil and the vortex seemed to be attached to a light-gray stone. Dusknoir had caught it sneaking up on him and his Sableye, who were standing to the side and watching, and was now questioning it to see what it knew. "Is this true, Spiritomb?"

The Forbidden Pokémon quickly nodded, "Yes, WE swear it! We saw him when he PASSED through this area! A Grovyle that had a bag with him! …We aren't still in trouble, ARE we?"

Dusknoir replied, "No, I'll let you go this time. But I'd better not catching you trying to sneak up on me again or you WILL regret it, whether you have any information or not! Now get out of my sight!" The Spiritomb quickly nodded again and began hopping in the direction of the upper floors of the Sealed Ruin.

One of the Sableye asked, "Master Dusknoir…?"

Dusknoir murmured to himself, "It seems I was right… He was listening in on my conversation with Master Dialga… Never thought he would be so bold as to come back here…" He then turned to the Sableye and said, "Come! We must keep moving! We have to locate that Pokémon as per Master Dialga's wishes!"

One of the other Sableye asked, "But what about Grovyle?"

Dusknoir replied, "He doesn't matter right now. He's probably looking for the same Pokémon we are. That's the only possible reason he'd come back to the Dark Land in the first place. We'll deal with him if we find him." With that, he began floating towards the path leading out of the Sealed Ruin, the Sableye following behind him shortly afterwards.

**Meanwhile, up ahead at the Dusk Forest**

Grovyle stood just outside the entrance to the forest, checking the items in his bag before looking up at the trees and the dark fog around the area. "I used to come here a lot to make sure I was getting stronger. It was also one of the few places in the Dark Land that I could find a place to relax. From here, it doesn't look like much has changed. I hope that's the case so I can have a better chance of locating this Pokémon before Dusknoir," he murmured. With that, he ran into the forest, leaping up onto the tree branches and darting from one tree to the next.

A short while later, Grovyle had searched part of the forest, but he hadn't found any leads or any Pokémon he'd never seen before. In fact, he hadn't really seen any Pokémon at all. That wasn't much of a surprise, as it seemed to fluctuate between having a lot or only a few different species of Pokémon at times. As he was about to leap to another tree branch, a red-orange fireball came flying at him! Seeing it clearly in the darkness, Grovyle used Quick Attack to leap off the branch, landing on the ground while the branch he had been standing on was blown off the tree, the area near the base having been burnt to cinders.

A slightly gruff voice soon said, "Split-second reflexes, I see. Even with as bright as my Dragon Rage can be, not everyone can move quick enough to dodge it." Grovyle turned to face the owner of the voice and saw a Gabite standing a fair distance away from him, his arms crossed.

Grovyle stood up and asked, "What, do you have a problem with me too?"

The Gabite replied, "No. I'm just looking for a good challenge. I haven't had a sparring partner for a long time. Fighting with all the out-of-it locals gets boring after a while. And we used to spar all the time, didn't we, Grovyle?"

Grovyle looked at the Gabite a little closer, seeing that he had a slight purplish tint to his blue scales, a diagonal scar across his chest, and a slightly shorter than normal dorsal fin before asking, "Drake, is that you?"

The Gabite smiled, "So you do remember me." He came over and patted Grovyle on the shoulder before asking, "Where have you been all this time? I thought something happened to you."

Grovyle looked to the side as he said, "I fell out of grace with Dusknoir some time ago. We haven't met on friendly terms since. I've just been wandering all this time." He then thought of something and turned to look at Drake, asking, "Is Errol still around?"

Drake asked, "Oh, you mean that Mothim we met during one of our 'meetings?' Yeah, he's still here. He went to go look for food a little while ago."

Grovyle nodded, "That's good."

Drake then asked, "So what happened between you and Dusknoir? Weren't you guys… partners or something?"

Grovyle said, "I really can't explain that right now. I'm in the middle of a mission of my own at the moment. I'm trying to find a Pokémon that's supposedly somewhere in this forest."

Drake asked, "What Pokémon?"

Grovyle replied, "I don't know. All I know is that it's capable of time travel and is currently being targeted by Dusknoir and his Sableye."

Drake said, "Well, I don't know anything about a Pokémon like that. I have to keep my nest and food safe from the Pokémon that live around here, you know. But Errol moves around the forest a lot; maybe he knows something."

Grovyle nodded, "All right. Let's go find him. Even if he doesn't know anything, maybe we can search together." With that, they began to move deeper into the forest.

After a couple minutes of walking, they heard a voice in the distance. Moving closer to where it was coming from, they could make out what it was saying. "Oh, there's no honey in this tree either… At this rate, I'm gonna have to leave the Dark Land to find food…" the voice's owner said. From the sound of it, the owner was a male.

"That sounds like Errol!" Drake said. Going ahead of Grovyle, he soon caught sight of a Mothim searching the trunk of a tree and called, "Hey! Errol!"

The Mothim whirled around, calming down at the sight of the Gabite. Fluttering over to him, Errol said, "Geez Drake, don't be so loud next time! You almost scared the wings off of me!"

Drake grinned, "Maybe you should lay off the honey, Errol. All that sweet stuff seems to be making you jumpy. Besides, guess who I ran into?"

The Mothim looked confused until he saw Grovyle approaching. Upon seeing him, Errol flew over to him, saying, "Grovyle! Far out, man! I haven't seen you in, like, forever! Where have you been?"

Grovyle replied, "Nowhere in particular. Nice to see you again, Errol."

Errol nodded, "Likewise, man! What's going on?"

Drake spoke, "He's looking for a Pokémon that can time travel. You haven't seen anything out of the ordinary during your searching, have you, Errol?"

The Mothim thought for a moment before replying, "I can't say I've SEEN anything that was unusual. But I did hear some weird noises coming from further ahead a little while ago. You know, in the Deep Dusk Forest. Totally freaked me out, man! I would've gone looking for honey in there, but I'm not gonna mess with whatever was making those noises by myself."

Grovyle said, "Hmm… Sounds promising. I'll go take a look then." He began to walk towards the deeper part of the woods.

Before he could pass them, Drake placed a claw on Grovyle's shoulder and said, "Hold it, Grovyle! You're not just gonna walk away after we just got reunited, are you?"

The Wood Gecko looked at him and replied, "Of course not! But this Pokémon is going to be in real danger if Dusknoir finds it. I'm just going to go take a look and I'll be right back."

Drake smirked, "You haven't changed a bit, Grovyle. Well, you're not going alone this time. I'm coming with you! And so is Errol!"

The Mothim sputtered, "W-what? Me too?"

Drake turned to him and grinned, "Of course! You just said you weren't going to investigate by yourself, right? If we all go, then none of us will be alone, right?"

Errol replied, "Uh… oh yeah, that's true. Well, all right then. I… I'll come too, then!"

Grovyle sighed, "I'm not going to be able to talk either of you out of this, am I?" Drake shook his head, as did Errol when the Gabite shot him a look. Grovyle gave a small smile, "Heh… You guys… Fine. If that's what you want to do."

Drake replied, "Of course! Besides, you never did tell me what happened between you and Dusknoir!"

Grovyle smirked, "Oh, so you're going to follow me until I tell you? Well, I'll tell you if you can still manage to keep up with me!" And with that, he took off running for the deeper part of the forest.

Drake grinned, "Is that how it's gonna be, Grovyle? You know I like a challenge! Hope you've been remembering to keep training or you're gonna lose!" He then took off after the Grass-type.

Errol exclaimed, "Hey! Wait for me, you guys!" He then began fluttering his wings to trap air under them and fly after his two friends.

* * *

"UP AND AT 'EM! IT'S MORNING!" Loudred boomed into Team Poképals' room. Once he noticed they were starting to stir, he left the room to go join the rest of the guild members.

"Ugh… Good morning, Piplup…" Chimchar groaned as he pushed himself up on his bed.

"Yeah… Right back at you, Chimchar…" Piplup muttered as he rubbed his eyes. After they both had managed to shake the cobwebs off, they got ready, remembering what Chatot had told them last night. They then left their room and made their way out of the guild.

When they got outside, they noticed that some of the other guild members were talking to each other. "Hey, hey! How much longer do you suppose it's going to take to apprehend Grovyle?" Corphish was saying.

"Oh my gosh! He's been up on the Outlaw Notice Board for so long already! Officer Magnezone doesn't have any leads on where he could be at all!" Sunflora replied.

"It's hard to believe that he's managing to hide this well. What kind of thief is he?" Chimecho wondered.

Suddenly, they all heard Chatot say, "Everyone, quiet down!" Everyone turned to face him and Guildmaster Wigglytuff. Chatot continued, "We are all concerned about what Grovyle is doing. It's hard to believe anyone would dare steal a Time Gear, let alone two. But Officer Magnezone is working as hard as he can to find where he is hiding and recover the Time Gears from Treeshroud Forest and Limestone Cavern. Just be patient and remember to report any information you may come across. That is all. Now, time for our morning words of encouragement! One!"

"DON'T SHIRK WORK!"

"Two!"

"RUN AWAY AND PAY!"

"Three!"

"SMILES GO FOR MILES!"

"All right, everyone! Here's to another busy day of work!"

"HOORAY!" With that, everyone went back into the guild, Piplup and Chimchar following them and going down to the second floor, where they found Chatot waiting for them.

Chatot noticed them approaching and said, "Oh, there you are, Team Poképals."

When they stood in front of him, Chimchar asked, "You wanted to see us, Chatot?"

The Music Note Pokémon nodded, "Yes. I wanted to return these to you." After saying that, he held out a wing, displaying their exploration team badges. But something was different about them…

Piplup asked, "What happened to the center? It was pink before, now it's green?"

Chatot smiled, "Well, it's changed because you've been promoted! You are now a Bronze Rank Exploration Team!"

Chimchar gasped, "Promoted? Really? All right!" He gladly took his badge back and looked at it like it was an important icon while Piplup grabbed his own badge and looked at it. Clearly, he still had a lot to get used to.

He was brought out of his thinking when Chatot said, "As for the real reason why I wanted to see you… You've become quite good with your work. I'm impressed with your capture of Drowzee. That was very admirable! So! You will finally be assigned a mission worthy of a proper exploration team."

Chimchar gasped again, "R-really? Hooray!"

Chatot said, "Let me see your Wonder Map." Chimchar opened the Treasure Bag and pulled out the Wonder Map, laying it on the ground and opening it. Chatot pointed a wing down at the map, saying, "Treasure Town is here." He then moved it over to another spot, adding, "And… over here is where we would like you to investigate." He then looked up at Chimchar and Piplup and said, "See? There is a waterfall flowing here. By all appearances, it's just an ordinary waterfall. But we've received intelligence that the waterfall may conceal a secret. And that's where you come in. We want you to investigate the waterfall and determine what's there. That's all. Do you both understand what the mission entails?"

Piplup said, "Sure." He looked over at Chimchar, expecting him to respond immediately, but to his surprise, the fire monkey seemed to be frozen in place.

Chatot noticed too and asked, "Hmm? What's wrong? A-are you all right?"

Chimchar answered, "Y-yes. I'm just… so excited! This is the first time we get to do a real job as an exploration team! I feel like I'm going to burst from the excitement!"

Chatot smiled, "Is that so? All right, I'll leave it to you two to thoroughly investigate the waterfall!"

Chimchar nodded, "Yes sir!" He then turned to Piplup and said, "Let's do our best, Piplup!" The former human nodded at this. With that, they made their way out of the guild, heading for the crossroads.

When they came down the stairs in front of the guild, they noticed a hole and a sign near the path leading down to the beach. Intrigued, they went to take a look. When they got closer, they saw there were stairs leading down into the hole. "Where do those stairs go?" Chimchar wondered.

Piplup looked at the sign and said, "There's something written on this sign. It says, 'Spinda's Café! A Shop of Hopes and Dreams, Opening Soon! Win Big!'" He turned to Chimchar and said, "I guess it's going to be a new shop, huh?"

Chimchar nodded, then said, "I wonder what it means by 'Hopes and Dreams,' though."

They heard Sunflora say, "Me too!" They turned and saw her coming towards them from the path leading to Treasure Town. When she reached them, she said, "I just saw the sign too! It wasn't there yesterday! It sounds interesting, but we'll have to wait until they open to find out!"

Piplup said, "Then I guess we'll have to stop by when they do."

Sunflora then asked, "So where are you off to today, Piplup and Chimchar?"

Chimchar said, "Chatot gave us a mission to investigate a waterfall! He said that it might be concealing a secret!"

Sunflora gasped, "Oh my gosh! That sounds exciting! Good luck, Team Poképals! I hope you find a lot of treasure!" Piplup and Chimchar thanked her, then made their way into Treasure Town to visit the Kecleon Brothers and see if they could pick up any supplies while Sunflora headed back to the guild.

As she came up to the grate, Corphish, Chimecho, and Bidoof came out and they talked with her for a few moments before heading towards the stairs. Shortly afterwards, Loudred came out and, when he saw Sunflora, gave a snort, "…HUMPH!" Sunflora turned around at this and inwardly gasped when she saw him, "_L-Loudred!_"

They quickly turned around, facing opposite directions as they snorted to themselves. Loudred turned around shortly afterwards and walked past Sunflora while her back was turned. She turned to look in his direction after he passed and muttered, "It's… a little troublesome… But…" She then said, a little louder, "It's all Loudred's fault! After his terrible behavior, Loudred hasn't even apologized! I won't forgive that! Humph!"

Chatot flew up out of the guild a minute later and, when he saw Sunflora, said, "Oh! There you are, Sunflora!"

Sunflora turned to him and said, "Oh hi, Chatot."

Chatot said, "I've been looking for you. There's something I'd like to discuss with you. Please come with me." He then fluttered back down the guild's ladder.

Sunflora wondered to herself, "Discuss? Gosh! I wonder what it could be…" She then went over to the ladder and began making her way down after Chatot.

**Later, at the waterfall**

Piplup and Chimchar walked along a rocky path, which led straight to the waterfall they had been assigned to investigate. Stopping a short distance from the crashing water, they looked up at it. "So this is the waterfall that supposedly has a secret…" Piplup murmured.

Chimchar looked a little nervous as he looked up at the waterfall, which was understandable. After a moment, he shook his head and put on a serious look, saying, "I'll take a closer look and see if there's anything here." He walked closer to the waterfall, but didn't manage to get much closer due to the water knocking him backwards! He stood up and said, "That water's coming down hard! Maybe you can get closer, Piplup?"

Piplup walked closer to it before stopping near where Chimchar had been knocked backwards. "_It's true… This is incredible… I can barely stay standing near this deluge!_" he thought to himself. He took one more step towards the waterfall and was knocked backwards as well, landing on his back.

"Whoa, Piplup!" Chimchar exclaimed, rushing over to his side and crouching down next to him. He placed his right hand on the back of Piplup's head and his left hand on his chest, ready to help him into a sitting position.

As soon as his hands came into contact with Piplup, the penguin's eyes shot open and, in his eyes, a white line shot across his forehead and his body changed colors. "_This feeling again…?_" he asked himself.

_**Piplup's vision**_

_A familiar-looking figure was approaching a waterfall; the same one Piplup and Chimchar were at. The figure looked at the waterfall for a moment before turning around and taking a few steps back. It then turned around and dashed towards the waterfall, leaping towards the falling water._

_But the figure wasn't crushed by the water. Instead, it went through to the other side, ending up in what looked like a cave! The figure rolled across the ground and, after stopping and standing up, looked around at where it was before proceeding deeper into the cave._

_**End of vision**_

The line going across Piplup's forehead disappeared and his colors faded back to normal, the former human sitting up afterwards. Chimchar asked, "Are you okay, Piplup?"

Piplup replied, "Yeah, I think so."

Chimchar took his hands off Piplup and stood up, looking back at the waterfall. "Wow, it really is intense. If we were to fall under this waterfall, it'd probably batter us. I didn't think it would be coming down like this! Where should we even start looking?"

Piplup muttered to himself as he stood up, "That was… Was it the same waterfall?"

Chimchar heard him speaking and turned to him, asking, "What is it, Piplup?"

Piplup replied, "I… I had another vision just now. I saw a Pokémon leap into this waterfall and it ended up in a hidden cave behind it."

Chimchar asked, "Behind the waterfall?" He looked back at the water coming down and said, "Hmm… But it looks like that water is coming down really heavily. Are you sure this is the same waterfall?"

Piplup said, "Well, it could've been a different waterfall. A different waterfall that looks amazingly similar to this one, I might add."

Chimchar crossed his arms, "What if there really is a solid cliff behind that waterfall? That would have to hurt! And even if it didn't hurt, the water would still pound us!" He then looked back at Piplup and asked, "You really think so, Piplup? You're really sure that there's something behind the waterfall?"

Piplup shrugged, "I'm pretty sure, but what does that matter? We're supposed to investigate this waterfall, and this is the kind of thing you talked about, isn't it? Searching for treasure and finding new places to explore?"

Chimchar looked back at him for a moment before smiling, "Yeah, you're right, Piplup. This is what we do, and I have faith in you. Yes, I totally believe in you, Piplup!" He then backed up a bit to get a running start, Piplup following his lead. He then murmured, "Okay, I've gotta be brave now! If I fail to leap through at full speed, I'll be crushed no matter what I do! If I'm going to do it, I have to do it without hesitating. Gotta be braver than ever before!"

Piplup looked over at him and asked, "Ready, Chimchar?" The fire monkey nodded, so Piplup said, "All right, then! Three… Two… One… Go!" And with that, they both ran towards the waterfall, leaping into it as fast as they could go!

They managed to break through the wall of water and ended up landing on a rocky floor. They rolled on their sides for a short distance before coming to a stop, both of them groaning a bit. Chimchar got up first and looked around; there were gray walls to their sides, as well as two puddles of water. He could hear the sound of the waterfall behind them, and past them appeared to be the entrance to a cave. "Whoa, check it out!" he exclaimed.

Piplup stood up after he said that and looked around before saying, "Wow, so there is a cave here after all!"

Chimchar nodded, "Yeah, you were right, Piplup! Let's see what secrets this cave holds!" With that, they headed for the entrance and began to explore the cave, deciding to simply refer to it as the Waterfall Cave.

Although the Waterfall Cave was mostly a Water-type mystery dungeon, Piplup and Chimchar found themselves having to cover each other's backs at times. While making their way to the bottom, they came across a Lotad and later a Tangela that gave Piplup some problems. In addition, Chimchar was attacked by a Poliwag and a Surskit along the way. A Whiscash was their last challenge before they reached the end, both Piplup and Chimchar needing to work closely together to bring it down.

When they reached the bottom, they were greeted with an amazing sight: the floor and walls were covered with sparkling gemstones! Both Piplup and Chimchar were amazed at what they saw, Chimchar soon spotting something against the opposite wall. It was a big red gemstone that seemed to be partly buried in the ground. Chimchar ran up to it, Piplup following behind him, and said, "Wow, I've never seen a gem this huge! Everyone will be amazed if we bring this back!" He grabbed onto the gem and began pulling it, trying to dislodge it.

Piplup watched from behind, waiting to see if Chimchar needed any help. "Anything?" he asked.

Chimchar soon let go of the gem, leaning against it and panting. He soon turned back to Piplup and said, "Nope, nothing. It's really stuck tight."

Piplup offered, "Here, let me give it a try." Chimchar moved aside and he walked up to it, moving his wings back and forth a bit to get the muscles in them ready. He then gripped onto the gem, pulling as hard as he could. No matter how much he pulled, though, the gem wouldn't even wiggle. He soon let go, groaning, "Can't even budge it…"

Chimchar sighed, "So you can't move it either, Piplup…" He then said, "But we can't give up just yet. If we try hard enough, we'll probably get some kind of result!"

He walked up behind Piplup and placed a hand on his shoulder. Almost immediately afterwards, Piplup saw a white line streak across his forehead and his body change colors. "_It's happening again…_" he said in his head.

_**Piplup's vision**_

_The figure Piplup saw earlier walked into the room that he and Chimchar were currently in. After looking around a moment, it approached the gemstone in the back and, perhaps by accident, pressed down on the gem. A slight 'click' was heard and the figure backed away from the gem. For a moment, it seemed that nothing was going to happen, but the room suddenly began to shake! The figure looked around in surprise, only to see a wall of water rushing towards it! The water swept the figure away, going down the passage to the left of the gem…_

_**End of vision**_

Piplup's vision returned to normal and looked back at Chimchar, who said, "I'm going to give it another go, okay Piplup?" The penguin nodded and moved away from the gem so Chimchar could have his space. The fire monkey then grabbed onto the gem and began pulling it again. Piplup watched and thought to himself, "_It's still not budging a bit… Is it because…?_" After a minute, Chimchar groaned and slumped down, pressing his head on the top of the gem, a slight 'click' sound being heard afterwards.

Piplup gasped, "Oh no! Chimchar!" The fire monkey turned around to look at him, confused. Suddenly, the room began to shake and Piplup looked to the right while Chimchar looked around nervously. Piplup soon saw something coming and turned around to run, shouting, "It's a flood!" Chimchar soon saw it and turned to run as well, but neither of them got far before they were swept away by the water. They did their best to keep their heads above the water, but the speed of the water made that very difficult. Soon, the water reached the end of the passage and went up, shooting out of a hole in the ceiling like a geyser and sending Piplup and Chimchar flying.

**A short while later…**

Chimchar began to wake up at the feeling of something wet in front of him and someone shaking his shoulder. "Huh? What…? Where are we?" he muttered.

An unfamiliar voice next to him said, "Hi, hi! Are you two okay? You plopped down from nowhere! Oh, you startled everyone!"

Chimchar managed to push himself up into a standing position and realized he was in some kind of pool. One that was rather warm. He noticed Piplup standing across from him, looking like he had just woken up too. They both looked around, seeing rocks, grass, tree, and the other Pokémon that were in the pool, which included a Teddiursa (who was the owner of the voice Chimchar heard), an Ursaring, a Vigoroth, a Mankey, a Primeape, and a Torkoal, before Chimchar asked, "Um, where are we?"

The Teddiursa answered, "This is the Hot Spring."

Piplup asked, "Hot Spring?"

The Torkoal, who was standing on the rocks on the far side of the spring, walked over to the spot that was closer to the water and said, "Indeed! This is the Hot Spring. The Hot Spring works wonders on tired muscles and creaky joints. Many Pokémon visit here. Tell me, youngsters. Do either of you have a map?"

Chimchar immediately felt for their bag, only to realize he wasn't wearing it! "Hey! Where did our Treasure Bag go?" he exclaimed.

The Vigoroth pointed to the left side of the Hot Spring and said, "It's drying off over there." Chimchar thanked him and made his way over to that side, reaching into the bag and pulling out the somewhat damp Wonder Map. He then carried it over to Torkoal and unfolded it on the ground in front of him.

Torkoal looked down at the Wonder Map for a moment before setting his right front foot down on a spot. "There. We are here. This is the Hot Spring's location," he explained.

Chimchar nodded, "I see." He then pointed at the waterfall, saying, "The waterfall is here, so…" He then gasped, "Piplup, come look at this!"

Piplup waded through the water until he was standing next to Chimchar. "What is it?" he asked.

Chimchar pointed at the Hot Spring's location and where Waterfall Cave was located. "The water carried us all the way over here!"

After Chimchar rolled up the map, Torkoal said, "My goodness! It was the water that carried you all this way? What a long journey that must have been! Let the Hot Spring wash away your fatigue before you make your way home."

Chimchar nodded, "Sure, that sounds great! Right, Piplup?" He turned to look at the penguin, only to see him sitting against the right wall, his eyes closed as he relaxed. Chimchar giggled, "I guess that's a 'yes.' Thanks, everyone!" He then made his way over to Piplup and sat up on the rocks next to him, letting his feet dangle down into the water.

**Later, back at the Wigglytuff Guild, outside the Guildmaster's chamber**

"Hmm. Let me see if I've got this all straight," Chatot was saying. "Behind the waterfall, there is a cave… In the deepest part of the cave, there is a gigantic gem… When you pushed on the gem, it triggered a trap of some kind… And, surprisingly, you were flush off to the distant Hot Spring? Is that the gist of your report?"

Chimchar glumly nodded, "Yes. It's really disappointing that we couldn't bring the gem back…"

Chatot replied, "No, no, no! Emphatically, no! This is a major discovery!

Chimchar asked, "Really?"

Chatot nodded, "Undoubtedly! After all, the presence of the cave behind the waterfall… No one knew about that before now!

Chimchar smiled, "Oh, I see! We made a discovery!"

While Chatot and Chimchar were talking, Piplup looked off to the side, thinking. "_When I had those visions… That Pokémon I saw… Hmm… Long ears, stubby arms and legs, and kind of blobby… That's it! It was Wigglytuff!_" he thought.

"Your waterfall discovery is just amazing! The Guildmaster must be told!" Chatot was saying.

Piplup spoke up, "Um, Chatot?" When both Chimchar and Chatot turned to him, he said, "This might sound weird, but has Wigglytuff ever been to the cave behind that waterfall before?"

Chimchar asked, "Huh? You think Wigglytuff might have been to that waterfall before, Piplup?"

Chatot quickly exclaimed, "No, no, no! Emphatically no! That's inconceivable! If that were so, the Guildmaster wouldn't have order you to investigate the place, right?"

Piplup said, "Well, no. But it's been bugging me for a while. Can't you ask him?"

Chatot replied, "Hmm. Well, since you insist, I will confirm it with the Guildmaster…" He then turned to the side and murmured, "Hmm… But why would he want to spoil such a discovery? How strange! Are humans really like this? Or did we just pick up another strange crew? I should be used to this by now…"

Piplup asked, "Did you say something, Chatot?"

Chatot bolted upright and turned to them, saying, "What? No, nothing, nothing! Nothing at all!" He then cleared his throat and said, "Anyway, as per your request, I will go ask the Guildmaster. Please wait here." He then flew into the Guildmaster's chamber, leaving Piplup and Chimchar alone.

He came back out a few minutes later and landed in front of them. "So how did it go?" Chimchar asked.

Chatot replied, "When I asked the Guildmaster, he mulled it over for a bit. And then he said… 'Oh, memories! Sweet memories! YOOM… TAH!' Then he danced around a bit. And then he said… 'Yes, yes! When I think hard, maybe I did go there once!' And that's just what the Guildmaster said. So it would appear Piplup was right. He has indeed already been to Waterfall Cave."

Chimchar said, "Oh… Okay. That's kind of disappointing… We really thought we'd discovered a new place. I wish Wigglytuff would've told us beforehand."

Chatot sighed, "Well, as you've seen before, the Guildmaster can be rather… erratic at times. Even I can't quite fathom what goes on in his head. Well, that's too bad for you." He then smiled, "Nevertheless, I shall be expecting your best effort tomorrow!" Chimchar gave a small groan at that.

**Later that night, after dinner**

Piplup sat in his bed, looking down while Chimchar was looking out the window. They had both taken off their items a few moments ago and now seemed to be preoccupied by something. Finally, Piplup spoke up, "I'm sorry I said anything, Chimchar. You know, about Wigglytuff having already been to Waterfall Cave before." From the sound of his voice, it sounded like it had been nagging at him for a while.

Chimchar turned around to face him and said, "No no, don't apologize, Piplup. I mean, it was a huge letdown, but still…" He then smiled, "Even though we went through a lot, it was incredibly fun for me! And it was still our first exploration! I thought I was going to explode from excitement and anticipation the whole time. It made me think of our first day here and what you said then."

Piplup asked, "Really?"

Chimchar nodded, "Yeah!" He then walked over to his bed and picked up his pendent. As he looked at it, he said, "And one day, I'm sure I'll solve the mystery surrounding this."

Piplup figured now was probably the best time, so he said, "I noticed that you had that before, but you never really told me about it. What is that stone?"

Chimchar turned to him and said, "Oh, this? Well, I haven't really told anyone about it, to be honest. I guess I never really thought telling anyone about it until now…" He held the stone out towards Piplup so he could see it better and said, "This is my personal treasure! I call it my Relic Fragment!"

As he looked at it, Piplup said, "I can see where the fragment part comes from. It is pretty small."

Chimchar nodded, "Yeah, it doesn't really look like much, I'll admit. But look here." He tilted the Relic Fragment a bit so Piplup could see the center and asked, "You see that pattern? It forms a strange inscription, doesn't it?"

Piplup said, "Yeah, it does look kind of odd. I've never seen a pattern like it before."

Chimchar replied, "I know! I was intrigued by it too, the first time I saw it! So I've kept it ever since, hoping to find out what the significance of it is! Maybe it's the key to a legendary place. Or maybe it's part of a larger pattern. That's the mystery I want to solve someday." He then giggled, "If I ever did, I'm sure I'd faint from sheer happiness!" Piplup giggled with him for a moment, the two of them eventually laughing. Afterwards, Chimchar asked, "Did I ever thank you, Piplup?"

Piplup cocked his head to the side and asked, "For what?"

Chimchar answered, "For agreeing to join an exploration team with me."

Piplup replied, "Well, I agreed to stay with the team to help other Pokémon and so we could stick together."

Chimchar said, "Well, then I'd like to say thank you now. Because we're partners and friends, we can explore together. I'm not the bravest Pokémon around, and I managed to work up the courage to leap headfirst into a waterfall! And it was all because you were with me, Piplup. Seriously, thanks!" He then thought of something and said, "You know something? About these visions you've been having, Piplup… They seem to happen when you touch someone. Or maybe when you touch something."

Piplup said, "Hey, you're right! Like with Drowzee, and at the Waterfall Cave. And even the night we joined the guild and at Labyrinth Cave."

Chimchar asked, "You saw visions those times too?"

Piplup nodded, "Yeah. When I touch something, I see something connected to it… Right?"

Chimchar crossed his arms, "There's one more thing. When we rescued Azurill, you had a vision of the future. But this time, it was a vision of the past, right?"

Piplup held a wing to his beak, "Oh yeah. I didn't think about that…"

Chimchar said, "So when you touch someone or something, you can have visions of the past or the future. It must be some kind of special ability! This could be something totally incredible! You could use it in a lot of ways, and not just for exploring, either! It could be useful for a lot of things! That's amazing, Piplup!"

Piplup replied, "Well, yeah. I guess so. But I don't think I get a vision every time I touch something. I don't think I can have visions whenever I want."

Chimchar said, "Well, I guess you're right. That would be kind of inconvenient. But it's still incredible, right?"

Piplup nodded, "Yeah."

Suddenly, they heard Chatot say, "Excuse me?" They both turned around to see him standing in the doorway to their room. He spoke, "The Guildmaster wants to see you both right away." They both stood up and followed him down the hall, into the lower plaza, and then into Wigglytuff's room. When they reached the room, they found Wigglytuff sitting in his chair. Chatot flew up to his perch and spoke, "Guildmaster? I've brought Team Poképals." Wigglytuff didn't respond, causing Piplup and Chimchar to look at each other. Chatot asked, "Er, Guildmaster?"

Suddenly, Wigglytuff leapt out of his chair and onto the ground, saying, "Hiya! Your team went through a lot today! Yes, a lot-lot! But don't worry! I'm keeping watch on your activities!"

Piplup murmured, "Uh, okay?"

Wigglytuff continued, "I should tell you the reason why I called you here. We're planning to mount a full expedition soon!"

Piplup asked, "Expedition?"

Chatot flew down from his spot and said, "Yes! The guild will go explore someplace far away! It's much harder than exploring our nearby area. That's why we need to prepare for the trip properly. We carefully choose which guild members go on the expedition."

Chimchar exclaimed, "Really?"

Piplup then asked, "So why are you telling us this?"

Wigglytuff explained, "Usually, we would never, ever consider rookies to be expedition members. But you two are working very hard! That's why we're making a special exception this time! We decided to include you in the list of candidates for the expedition!"

Chimchar gasped, "Wow…!"

Chatot spoke, "Now, now! That doesn't mean you've been chosen yet. There is still time before we set out on the expedition. If you fail to do good work before then, you cannot expect to be selected for the expedition."

Wigglytuff smiled, "I'm sure you two can do it! Try hard!"

Chimchar said, "We will!" He turned to Piplup and asked, "Right, Piplup?"

Piplup replied, "You bet!" They then went off to bed, with dreams of being a part of the upcoming expedition visiting them in their sleep.

* * *

Originally, I was planning to have a battle scene between Grovyle and Gabite, but I changed my mind. Thus, I came up with Drake and Errol. Aren't I clever? XD

I included part of the opening of "Today's 'Oh my Gosh'" because I remember reading that the Waterfall Cave exploration happens at the same time as said Special Episode.

Anyway, this might be the last you'll see from me for a little while. I've got an exam tomorrow and Friday, and next week is finals week! So unless I'm taking a study break, I probably won't have time to be doing a lot of writing.


	5. Enter Team Skull, The Search

It was another bright day, and the members of the Wigglytuff Guild were gathered in front of the guild. The morning words of encouragement were finished, and Chatot was currently in the middle of discussing the guild's upcoming plans, one of which Team Poképals was already aware of. "Ahem! As I was saying… there is a lake far to the east. There are many aspects of that lake that remain mysterious. We hope to unravel those mysteries. And so, our guild is planning to mount an expedition for the first time in a while," he explained.

The guild members became excited at the sound of that, instantly chatting amongst themselves. "An expedition, you say? Yes, please! Yes sirree!" Bidoof said.

"It's been a long time since we went on an expedition!" Sunflora exclaimed, clapping her leaves together.

Loudred turned to Chatot and said, "But… that means you're going to be picking members for the expedition from ALL of us again, right?"

Chatot nodded, "Precisely!" He then turned his attention back to the rest of the guild and said, "We will depart in several days or so. During this time, we will choose the most worthy apprentices. The chosen members will form the expedition party. Everyone, work hard so that you may be chosen for the expedition!"

This got everyone excited again, Sunflora cheering, "Oh my gosh! This is so exciting!"

Bidoof spoke, "Yup yup! I've yet to go on an expedition. I would surely love to go this time!"

Loudred said, "Let's work hard at it and get picked as members!"

After everyone settled down somewhat, Chatot spoke, "All right, everyone! It's back to work as usual!" Everyone gave one last "HOORAY!" at that.

A few minutes later, Piplup and Chimchar came down the ladder leading into the guild. Once he got to the bottom, Piplup walked towards the center of the upper plaza, followed by Chimchar. When they were both standing there, Piplup turned to Chimchar and asked, "So today we're doing the jobs on the Job Bulletin Board and Outlaw Notice Board, right?"

Chimchar nodded, "Right. Let's try to do as many jobs as we can. Then they'll have to pick us for the expedition group!"

The two of them turned and began heading towards the Job Bulletin Board, but they had taken no more than two steps when they were suddenly and roughly pushed aside. A male voice behind them said, "Whoa-ho-ho! You two wanna watch where you're going?"

Piplup turned around to face them, at which point he realized that they were a Koffing and Zubat, the Koffing having been the one that spoke. The former human pushed down any angry thoughts he might've had at being shoved and calmly replied, "Sorry. Our bad."

The Zubat chuckled, "Heh-heh-heh. You bet it was your bad. Get your heads out of the clouds or the ocean or wherever you've been sticking them. You won't get anywhere living like that."

Before Piplup could say anything else, Chimchar exclaimed, "Aah! Where'd my Relic Fragment go?"

The Zubat brought one of his spindly legs forward, revealing that Chimchar's Relic Fragment was dangling from it. "Oh, was this yours? And a 'Relic' Fragment, you call it? Could've surprised me, tiny piece of junk that it is. You probably bought it at one of those cheap knockoff stores," he said before throwing it towards Chimchar.

Chimchar caught it with both hands, then growled, "What do you know? It's my personal treasure, the first one I ever found. Who are you to say what's considered treasure and what isn't?"

Koffing answered, "I'll have you know that we're an exploration team too. So of course we know what is and isn't a treasure."

Zubat chuckled again, "Heh-heh-heh. After all, why else would we be checking out the Job Bulletin Board?"

Piplup looked surprised at this, asking, "You're an exploration team? The two of you?"

As both he and Zubat drifted back around Piplup and Chimchar towards the Job Bulletin Board, Koffing nodded, "That's right. Though I'll tell you right now, the way we operate isn't always… by the book. So what are you two here for?"

Chimchar, as he put his Relic Fragment back around his neck, answered, "We're training at this guild. We want to become exploration team members!"

Zubat asked, "You really think you two can handle it, especially you?"

Chimchar replied, "That's why we're training! So we can learn to overcome our shortcomings and prove we can be a real exploration team! Even now, we're working hard to be chosen for the guild's expedition!"

Both Koffing and Zubat looked interested at this, Koffing saying, "Oh? An expedition, you say?"

Zubat chuckled, "Well, you better start working, then. Effort can only get you so far. In the end, it all comes down to talent… pure talent! You won't be going on any expeditions if you two don't have that."

Piplup, who was getting increasingly annoyed at Koffing and Zubat's attitudes, said, "That's some big talk! Do you two have this talent you're talking about? If not, you shouldn't be saying things you can't back up!"

Koffing responded, "Whoa-ho-ho! Maybe not right now. After all, we don't have the Chief with us."

Chimchar asked, "The Chief?"

Zubat smirked, "Heh-heh. That's right."

Koffing said, "Team Skull, our exploration team, has three members.

Zubat nodded, "Our Chief is incredibly talented."

Koffing added, "To put it bluntly, he's brutally tough."

Zubat said, "You'd better watch yourselves around the Chief. You make him mad and we'll have to snap you both like a pair of twigs."

Something suddenly seemed to both Koffing and Zubat's attentions, and they turned towards the ladder leading out of the guild. "Speaking of the Chief, I can smell him coming now!" Koffing said.

Both Piplup and Chimchar were confused by this statement until Zubat added, "Here's the Chief!"

Both Piplup and Chimchar turned to look at the ladder leading out of the guild, glancing up to see a Skuntank coming down. When it reached the bottom, it turned around to see Piplup standing in the way and growled, in a deep male voice, "Move! Out of the way!" Not giving the penguin a chance to do what he ordered, the Skuntank blasted him with a cloud of purple gas, which knocked Piplup onto his back.

"Ah! Piplup!" Chimchar exclaimed. Almost immediately afterwards, he covered his nose with his hands and groaned, "Ugh… What's this awful stench?"

The smell from the purple cloud spread out, catching the attention of Sunflora, Corphish, Bidoof, and Chimecho. "Eek! It reeks like rotten cheese!" Sunflora exclaimed.

"That is foul, yes sirree!" Bidoof said.

"Hey, hey! My eyes are burning!" Corphish exclaimed. They all looked over at the Job Bulletin Board, specifically in Skuntank's direction.

Satisfied that Piplup seemed to be down for the count, Skuntank turned and began walking towards Chimchar. Once he was standing in front of the fire monkey, he yelled, "Move it! Or do you want to end up like that wimp over there?" Intimidated by that threat, Chimchar soon moved out of Skuntank's way, the Skunk Pokémon strutting over to his cheering teammates afterwards. After listening to their praise, he said, "Yeah, yeah, whatever. So, you two, did you sniff out any jobs that'll bring in the cash?"

Koffing answered, "The Job Bulletin Board only has some cheap tasks on it, but…"

Zubat continued, "There's something else, Chief. It's got the potential to go big…" He then fluttered over to Skuntank and began whispering in his ear.

Skuntank soon perked up at what he was being told, saying, "Oh? That does sound tasty."

Koffing nodded, "Doesn't it?"

Skuntank said, "Let's get out of here. We need to do some plotting. Come on. We're going." After both Koffing and Zubat nodded, he began sauntering over to the ladder, climbing out of the guild.

Both Koffing and Zubat followed, stopping for a moment as they noticed the other guild members staring at them. "What are you all staring at? This isn't a public performance!" Koffing yelled, the guild members quickly turning away afterwards.

Koffing then followed Skuntank up out of the guild while Zubat shot one last look at Team Poképals and said, "Heh-heh, see you around, wimps." He then flew after his teammates.

After they were all out of sight, Chimchar ran to Piplup's side and began shaking him, saying, "Piplup, are you okay?"

Piplup soon sat up and waved a wing in front of his face as though he were trying to bat away an invisible clump of dust. He then stood up and said, "I think so. Sheesh, what a bunch of jerks."

Chimchar sighed, "At least they didn't hurt you." He then looked over at the ladder and frowned, "That sure was rough, though. Even though he hurt you, Piplup, I couldn't work up enough courage to challenge him to his face… They're right… About me being a wimp…"

Piplup asked, "What? Don't tell me you're actually going to believe what they said, Chimchar! You're not a wimp!"

Chimchar turned back to him and sniffled, "That's nice of you to say, Piplup… But what they said… It is true…" He then wiped his eyes as he continued, "But it's not like it's anything new for me… I still want to do my best, even if I am easily scared." He dried his eyes as he said, "I'm not going to give up over something like this. I'm going to stay cheerful and keep trying with you, Piplup!"

Piplup smiled, "Now that's more like it. So come on! Let's pick out some jobs for today!" Chimchar nodded and they both headed over to the Job Bulletin Board to see what jobs Team Skull thought were cheap tasks.

**A little later…**

Piplup and Chimchar were coming down the stairs in front of the guild, having decided to tackle several missions taking place in the Drenched Bluff mystery dungeon. As they were approaching the crossroads, they noticed a Wynaut and a female Wobbuffet standing near the hole in the ground they had seen the day before. Both Wynaut and Wobbuffet noticed them approaching, Wynaut saying, "Oh! A customer, is it not?" They approached Team Poképals, Wynaut saying, "Good day, is it not? The new shop, Spinda's Café, is now open! This wonderful shop is overflowing with hopes and dreams, is it not?"

Piplup cocked his head at this, "Hopes and dreams?"

Wobbuffet turned around and whapped herself on the head, saying, "That's right!"

Wynaut hopped over beside Chimchar and said, "Hey! Why not come on in? Don't be shy!"

Chimchar replied, "Uh, sure, I guess. What do you think, Piplup?" The penguin looked over at him and shrugged, also a bit confused.

Wynaut turned towards the hole and called, "We have two guests!" He then made a sweeping motion with his arms, Chimchar and Piplup walking past him and going over towards the hole, going down the stairs inside. Wynaut and Wobbuffet walked behind them, following them in.

When they reached the bottom of the stairs, Piplup and Chimchar found themselves in a large underground room with lots of wooden tables. "Wow! This is a big place!" Chimchar said.

Piplup nodded, "Yeah, but… what's it for?"

Looking ahead, they saw that a Spinda was walking towards them, teetering as he walked. When he reached them, he bowed and said, "Hello and welcome to Spinda's Café! My name is Spinda, and I am the owner of this café. This is a café for explorers who enjoy finding new things every day and who are constantly challenging themselves."

Chimchar asked, "A café for explorers?"

Spinda nodded, "That's right. It's natural to want to refresh yourself with a hearty delicious drink after exploring… So we are delighted to provide this service to explorers, and we trust it will bring them happiness. Today is our grand opening! Allow me to show you around the premises."

He walked towards the upper left corner, Piplup, Chimchar, Wynaut, and Wobbuffet following him, and stopped in front of the counter there. He turned to them and said, "This is the Juice Bar. You've undoubtedly collected Gummis and Apples during your explorations, right? Here, those edibles can become delicious drink sensations. I, Spinda, will take your ingredient and use my incredible skills to create a delectable drink for you."

Chimchar said, "Oh! So say we brought you an Apple. You'd be able to make some Apple Juice for us, is that what you're saying?"

Spinda nodded happily, "That's right! That is exactly right. That's how it works. While you're enjoying a nutritious drink, you can sit back and share exploration stories. Now, for the next facility…" He led the group over to the front of the adjacent counter and said, "This is the centerpiece of our place, the Recycle Shop. I'll bet you have a bunch of items in storage that you picked up in your travels and have little use for, am I right?"

Chimchar nodded, "Sure. Mammy Kangaskhan has always had a spot to store the things I find ever since I came to Treasure Town." Piplup looked at Chimchar at that. He realized he must've meant the Kangaskhan that he'd seen during the times they had stopped by the Kecleon Brothers' store, but this was the first time he'd heard him refer to her as such. Most of the other Pokémon seemed to just refer to her as Kangaskhan. "_He must go to visit her in the evenings sometimes,_" he realized.

Spinda spoke, bringing Piplup out of his thoughts, "Yes, but sometimes, you have to get rid of your extra items to make room, yes?" When Chimchar nodded, Spinda, Wynaut, and Wobbuffet threw their heads back, Spinda wailing, "Isn't that just wasteful? There could be explorers in dungeons out there who are desperately in need of the very things you have locked in storage."

Chimchar sweat dropped, "Well yeah, I agree that it's wasteful. But there really isn't any other place to keep the extra stuff."

Spinda nodded, "Yes, and that's why we've decided to change that. That's why we established this facility. You can bring your extra items here and trade them for items you want. Doesn't that sound much better? One Pokémon's trash is another Pokémon's treasure, am I right? I thought it would be fun for explorers to gather and trade items with one another. You'll never have to throw out another item. You'll never have to say 'What a waste!' That's my goal. So if you've got a collection of items you don't need, please make use of our Recycle Shop. You can even get a bonus Prize Ticket when recycling items. It's a lot of fun." He then paused for a moment before saying, "…I know that was a whirlwind tour, but I hope you've got an idea of what kind of a place this is."

Piplup said, "Wow. It sure sounds like a fun shop."

Spinda said, "Thank you very much! It is my goal to have a café of hopes and dreams, where many explorers can gather. I hope to see you again soon here at Spinda's Café." He and Wynaut then bowed while Wobbuffet whopped herself on the head again.

Chimchar spoke, "Maybe when we're done with our work today, we'll stop by with some ingredients and have a drink!"

Spinda said, "Really? That would be great!"

Piplup nodded, "Okay, then that's what we'll do. We'll see you all later!" He and Chimchar then turned and headed out, waving to Spinda, Wynaut, and Wobbuffet as they went. The thought of getting a drink right away was tempting, but they had work to do. So they wanted to get it done as soon as they possible so they could kick back and enjoy a delicious drink.

* * *

Grovyle, Drake, and Errol entered a small clearing containing a Kangaskhan Rock. Across from them was an uneven path, parts of the ground sticking up while others were slanting downwards. Drake looked around as he said, "This is it. The entrance to the Deep Dusk Forest." He glanced over at Errol and asked, "You're absolutely sure this is where you heard those strange noises?"

The Mothim nodded, "Absolutely, Drake. It almost sounded like a ghost or something, what with that swirly sound and what sounded like laughter. No way was I going to go find out what it was by myself!"

Grovyle turned to him and said, "Well, now you've got us to come with you. Just remember to stay close. I seem to recall that sandstorms were pretty common in this part of the forest because of all the Ground-types."

Drake nodded, "You got it. If anything, they've become much more common since you were last here." The Gabite then turned to look at the rugged path in front of them and said, "It's been a little while since I was last here as well. I hope you still remember how to get through here, Grovyle."

Grovyle faced the path as well and said, "We'll figure it out as we go. Come on!" He then dashed towards the trees, followed by Drake and Errol.

For a while, they wandered around the forest, searching for the correct path through. It was even harder to find their way around this part of the forest since it was darker than it was earlier. They mostly found themselves running into many of the wild Pokémon that lived there, none of which were happy to see them there, but eventually they saw the leaves on the trees change from green to yellow. At that point, they knew they were getting closer to the deepest part of the forest.

Eventually, as the trees were beginning to thin out, they all halted when they saw some type of green wave running across the trees and ground. As they looked around warily, a kind of giggling sound was heard. "That's it! That's the sound!" Errol exclaimed.

Drake muttered, "Where's it coming from…?"

Grovyle looked down at the wave running across the ground and looked at the path they were on. From the look of it, the wave seemed to be coming from their right. He turned to look at Drake and Errol and said, "It might be what's causing these strange waves. So if we follow them to their source, we might find out who's causing them."

Errol stuttered, "A-Are you sure that's a good idea, Grovyle? I mean, that might be what whatever this thing is wants us to think. You know, to lure victims? I've seen Hippowdon do that before."

Drake turned to him and said, "Errol, just because one type of Pokémon does it doesn't mean they all do it. And it's not like we really had a destination in mind. We've basically been wandering blind here!"

Grovyle turned to them and said, "Enough, both of you!" When they both turned to face him, he said, "I'll admit that this isn't exactly the best situation to be in, but we don't have a lot of other options. Let's get closer and investigate from afar before we decide on what action to take." Both Drake and Errol seemed to agree with this decision, so they began making their way towards the source of the waves.

They soon ran out of trees and entered a large clearing, this one made entirely out of gray rock. As they looked around, they noticed something unusual at the other side: it appeared to be a light blue doorway around the rock with two light blue half rings going around the front of it. "What is that thing…?" Grovyle muttered.

Seeing that there didn't seem to be anything there, they made their way to the center of the clearing. Drake glanced around before saying, "Hey, I think those green waves stopped. I don't see anything."

Errol's wings began to flap quickly as he nervously wondered, "Did we walk into a trap…? Are we in trouble…?"

They were all suddenly jerked out of their thoughts when they heard the giggling again, sounding closer than ever this time. All three of them quickly got into defensive positions at this, each looking in a different direction and eying what they could see warily. As he stood there, Grovyle thought, "_Wait… The one who's giggling… It sounds like-_"

Grovyle didn't get a chance to finish that thought as he suddenly felt two arms wrap around his neck. A voice behind him whispered, "Gotcha."


	6. Foul Allies, Caught Clueless

Several days after Piplup and Chimchar met Team Skull, the day that followed certainly got off to an interesting start. The first thing they noticed was that the morning assembly was on the lower floor of the guild, just outside the Guildmaster's room, rather than outside like it usually was. The next thing was what came after the morning words of encouragement.

"Everyone! I have an announcement before we get down to work. Let me introduce our new allies," Chatot was saying.

At his words, the apprentices immediately began talking amongst themselves. "Allies? What, more new apprentices?" Loudred asked.

"Golly, I wonder what kinds of Pokémon they are?" Bidoof wondered.

Both Wigglytuff and Chatot turned towards the nearby ladder, Chatot saying, "Hey! Over here, please."

As they turned to look at the ladder, a smell wafted down from it that Croagunk, Chatot, and Wigglytuff seemed to be oblivious to. Everyone else noticed it, though, with Loudred yelling, "Ugh! What stinks?"

Sunflora exclaimed, "Eek! It reeks like rotten cheese! Ewwww!"

Bidoof shook his head as he said, "Yup yup! That is some kind of foul stench!"

The smell soon seemed to go away, or at least get to a point where it wasn't as noticeable. Shortly afterwards, the new allies that Chatot had mentioned came down the ladder. Piplup, Chimchar, and several other apprentices quickly recognized the Skuntank, Koffing, and Zubat coming down after the events of the previous day, Chimchar whispering, "Oh no, not them!"

Chatot spoke, "These three are our new partners."

Koffing spoke, "Whoa-ho-ho! I'm Koffing."

Zubat chuckled, "Heh-heh-heh! Zubat here. Glad to meet you."

Skuntank said, "And I'm Team Skull's leader. I'm Skuntank. Remember it." He then glanced over at Piplup and Chimchar, who were lined up along the side, and added, "Especially you two. Chaw-haw-haw!"

Chatot glanced between Skuntank and the two apprentices twice before asking, "What, you're already acquainted?" He then smiled, "That simplifies things." He then turned to the rest of the guild and said, "These three aren't joining us as apprentices. They will be joining our expedition to lend us their assistance."

Piplup's gaze fell on the floor and he muttered, maybe a little louder than he meant to, "You've got to be kidding me…"

Chatot glanced over at him and asked, "Did you say something, Piplup?"

Skuntank turned to the bird and said, "Chatot, sir, it's nothing. That one seems to have quite the personality depending on the time of day. Chaw-haw-haw."

Chatot glanced between him and Piplup for a moment before conceding, "Hm. Very well, then." He then continued, "Anyway, the Guildmaster has made his decision. He has decided that having this trio take part will make us stronger on the expedition. However, it would be impossible to coordinate teamwork if we were to begin working together right away. Therefore, we've decided that the trio should live with us for several days. Though it will only be for a short while, I ask everyone to treat our guests with hospitality."

Loudred sweat dropped, "…Doesn't Chatot think something stinks about this? Literally?"

Sunflora frowned, "…Eww. How can the Guildmaster stand this?"

Bidoof murmured, "I sure hope this expedition ends soon! Yup yup!"

Chatot chirped, "All right, everyone! Let's get down to work!"

The guild members responded with an unenthusiastic, "…Yay."

Chatot asked, "What's this? Where's your usual spirit?"

Loudred shouted, "You gotta be KIDDING! This STINKS! How do you expect us to be cheerful when-" He was cut off when the guild began to rumble, catching everyone off guard. Was it an earthquake?

As he hunched over, Wigglytuff moaned, "YOOM… YOOOOOOM…"

Everyone panicked at this, Chatot exclaiming, "No! The Guildmaster… His rage is building!" He turned to the rest of the guild and said, "If the Guildmaster gets angry, it will be horrific! Everyone! Come on! Be cheerful, even if it hurts! All right, everyone! Let's get down to today's work!"

The apprentices shouted, with a little less reluctance, "HOORAY!" At that, Wigglytuff stood up straight and smiled like nothing was wrong. With the morning briefing finished, everyone except Team Skull and Team Poképals left to get to work.

Skuntank turned to Piplup and Chimchar and said, "Chaw-haw-haw! Glad to have met you." He then went up the ladder, followed by Koffing and Zubat after they threw a "Whoa-ho-ho!" and "Heh-heh-heh!" at the two.

Piplup and Chimchar turned to face each other, Chimchar whispering, "Those guys have to be up to something. Why else would they want to be a part of the guild's expedition?"

Piplup whispered, "You're probably right, but we don't know that for sure. Until we can find out and can prove it to Chatot, we'll have to be on our guard."

Chatot suddenly spoke, interrupting their conversation, "Ah, you two." Piplup and Chimchar turned to face him, at which point he said, "Take care of the jobs on the boards, okay? That will do for today. We're counting on you." The two nodded and then headed for the ladder, ready to get out of the guild for a while.

**Later that evening, in Treasure Town**

Piplup and Chimchar walked along the dirt path to the west side of the town, having finished the last of the missions they selected for the day. They said hi to some of the Pokémon in town as they walked, eventually reaching their destination: Kangaskhan Storage. The parent looked up from what she was doing when she heard them approach, smiling when she saw who it was. "Chimchar! Good evening, dearie! How was training today?" she asked.

"It was great, Mammy Kangaskhan! We got a mission in the Lush Prairie when we stopped by Spinda's Café earlier today!" Chimchar replied.

Kangaskhan smiled, "Really? Good for you, dearie!" She then noticed Piplup standing behind him, the former human having remained silent up to this point, and said, "Oh my! I'm terribly sorry for not noticing you earlier, dear! Are you the Piplup that Chimchar's been telling me about?"

Piplup, having suddenly been put on the spot, replied, "Uh, yeah, that's me. Er, nice to meet you, Kangaskhan ma'am?"

Kangaskhan waved a paw as she said, "Please, dearie, there's no need for formalities around me. If you're going to call me anything, Mammy Kangaskhan will do."

Piplup muttered, "Uh, okay. Sure…" It felt a little odd and yet a little familiar to refer to the Parent Pokémon as such.

Kangaskhan turned back to Chimchar and asked, "How come you haven't brought Piplup over until now?"

Chimchar nervously replied, "Well, I've been showing him the other shops around town. After all, I did find him washed up on the beach."

Kangaskhan nodded, "Yes, I remember you telling me that. I understand, dearie." She then asked, "Did you have anything you wanted me to hold onto?"

Chimchar nodded and placed the Treasure Bag up on the counter saying, "We picked up a few extra items today. If you could, I'd like to store them, just for tonight at least."

Kangaskhan nodded, "Of course I can hold onto them! They'll be safe with me." Chimchar emptied the items out of the Treasure Bag and Kangaskhan took them, storing them in Chimchar's little nook. He and Piplup had to get going afterwards since dinner was going to be served soon. Before they left, Kangaskhan looked at Piplup and said, "You take good care of Chimchar, you hear? He really needs a good friend, and not just to explore with either."

Piplup replied uncertainly, "Well, we've been getting along fine so far, so I don't see any reason to break it up now. Still, I'll be sure to try my best, uh, Mammy Kangaskhan." She nodded and then waved to them as they made their way back to the Wigglytuff Guild.

**Later that night…**

Following dinner, during which Piplup had to keep an eye on Skuntank so that he didn't try to steal any of Chimchar's food (he looked like he would've had the former human not been keeping watch), Team Poképals headed to their room to get some sleep, as did the rest of the guild. The girls headed to the north crew room, the rest of the boys headed to the south crew room, Wigglytuff fell asleep in his chair, and Chatot perched on top of the ladder at the entrance to the guild.

Not everyone turned in for the night, however. Now that everyone else was asleep, Team Skull was sneaking around the guild, searching for something. Zubat muttered, "We just had dinner, but I could go for some more food."

Koffing agreed, "My belly will never get filled on grub like that."

Skuntank turned to them and said, "All right. The guild members have gone off to bed… Let's go find it now."

Zubat asked, "Huh? Find what?"

Skuntank answered, "What else? The guild's food stock. We'll find their food and give ourselves a proper feast."

Koffing grinned, "I like that thinking, Chief!"

Zubat nodded, "Okay, let's get to it!"

* * *

Grovyle glanced down, unable to see the one that was holding him or their arms. But he could feel them, feel the warmth in those arms. He had already suspected that it wasn't Dusknoir or his Sableye due to the feminine sound of the giggling and this confirmed it. But who was it then?

"Do you mind letting go of me?" Grovyle asked, loud enough for Drake and Errol to hear. They turned to look at him and noticed the arms wrapped around his neck, but were a bit more surprised at the sight of what they belonged to. The little pink arms were connected to a pink fairy-like creature with a round, pointy head that had two antennae and black rings around its blue eyes, round toeless feet, three-fingered hands, and clear wings on its back.

"Nah, I don't think I'll do that," the fairy replied, her voice calm and melodic, a hint of youthful joy hidden in it.

Drake immediately went to Grovyle's front and spoke directly to the fairy, "Well, then you'd better tell us who you are! You think you can just sneak up on him and not be considered suspicious?"

The fairy's eyes moved to look at the Gabite as she said, "Please. If I, Celebi, was going to do anything to any of you, don't you think I would've done it when you didn't know where I was?" She then leaned against Grovyle and sighed, "I haven't seen any fellow Grass-types for a long time. I just wanted to make sure he was real, that's all."

Grovyle said, "I… see. So I am real enough for you… Celebi?"

Celebi let go of Grovyle and fluttered backwards with her wings, saying, "Yes. Sorry about surprising you like that. May I have your names?"

Grovyle turned his head to the side to look at her and, after a moment, replied, "Grovyle."

Drake said, with his arms crossed and his head turned to the side, "The name's Drake, little pink. Don't you forget it."

Errol flew over and said to Celebi, "Don't worry about him. He's kinda been like that around new Pokémon ever since he evolved." He extended a leg and said, "My name's Errol. It's nice to meet you."

Celebi took the leg and shook it, saying, "Likewise. It's nice to meet someone that doesn't either try to attack me on sight or freak out when I start talking to them."

Grovyle turned to face her and asked, "Why would anyone freak out at the sight of you?"

Celebi giggled, "Probably because I'm the brightest thing they've ever seen." She then sighed, "Oh, I shouldn't be laughing. This whole world used to be bright and beautiful; most Pokémon could actually control themselves too. That isn't something to laugh about."

Drake turned to look at Celebi suspiciously, "How do you know that?"

Celebi smiled, "Well, that's easy. Because I can time travel!"

Grovyle did a double take at Celebi's statement, looking at her incredulously before demanding, "You know how to time travel?" When she nodded, he asked, "So you're the one Dusknoir is looking for?"

Drake turned to him and said, "Come on, Grovyle. Why would Dusknoir be assigned to search for a midget like this?" A vein bulged on Celebi's forehead at that last remark and she flew towards the Gabite, grabbing onto his chest. He yelled, "Hey! What do you think you're-?"

He was cut off when Celebi jabbed both of her antennae into his chest, two brown seeds being left behind when she removed them. She let go and fluttered away from him, at which point the two seeds sprouted vines which began to grow, eventually wrapping around the Gabite and restricting his movements. As he struggled to get free, Celebi spun around in midair and released glowing green leaves at him, knocking him down but also cutting the vines off. She then said, "How rude."

Drake sat up and growled, "What was that for?"

Celebi answered, "That's for making fun of me. I may be small, but that doesn't mean you can mock me or my power."

Errol nervously said, "Well, I'm convinced of her power…"

Celebi then turned back to Grovyle and asked, "Now, what were you saying about a Dusknoir, Grovyle? I'm afraid I don't know about any Dusknoir."

Before Grovyle could say anything, an eerily familiar voice spoke up, making Grovyle's eyes widen, "Perhaps I could answer that for you, my dear." Suddenly, six Sableye leapt out of the shadows and into the clearing, surrounding the four of them. As they looked at the six snickering Sableye, a deep laugh was soon heard and a familiar ghost appeared at the entrance to the clearing, its single red eye resting on Grovyle. "Grovyle. How nice to see you again," Dusknoir crooned.

Grovyle gritted his teeth, growling, "Dusknoir…!"

Ignoring the look the gecko was giving him, Dusknoir went on, "I don't whether to be disappointed in you or pleased with you, Grovyle. Disappointed that you seem to have gotten lazy or pleased that you found the one I was looking for without needing to be asked."

Errol muttered frantically, "Oh no… This is bad… What are we gonna do? We're outnumbered… Are they gonna hurt Celebi?"

Celebi, clearly confused at the events unfolding around her, turned to Grovyle and asked, "Grovyle, what's going on? Why do you look so angry?"

Dusknoir answered her, "Like I said, I would be more than willing to answer any questions you may have, Celebi. Perhaps you'd care to talk about it during a nice walk?"

Grovyle could easily see what Dusknoir was trying to do so he answered for the Time Travel Pokémon, "Sorry Dusknoir, but we were all enjoying a nice little talk ourselves. Why don't you leave so we can finish it?"

Dusknoir glared darkly at Grovyle, "I regret to inform you that that's unacceptable, Grovyle. I happen to have a few questions for you that I was hoping you could answer. And I believe our master has something in mind for Celebi."

Grovyle growled, "YOUR master, maybe. I have no ties to Primal Dialga anymore! Besides, I already know that he wants you to get rid of Celebi!"

Celebi gasped, "Grovyle… Are you saying you used to be close to Primal Dialga?"

Drake turned to her and said, "He USED to! Not anymore!"

Dusknoir spoke, "Enough of this. If you won't come willingly, Grovyle, then I'll make you come by force!" He then gestured to the Sableye, "Get them!"

Grovyle shouted as he assumed a defensive stance, "Celebi, get back!" Immediately after saying that, the Sableye leapt upon the group, Grovyle and Drake jumping to opposite sides while Celebi and Errol flew backwards, Celebi to the left and Errol to the right.

When Drake landed, he turned around to see two Sableye leaping towards him, ready to use Fury Swipes. He held up his arms, using the fins on them like a pair of shields. They were thick enough to deflect the claws of the Sableye and, as they were swiping, he pushed them both back. While they were recovering, he used Sand Tomb, catching them both within a sand tornado. But they weren't finished yet, as they both used Night Shade at the same time to break free of the tornado.

Errol, meanwhile, was trying to avoid fighting with the two Sableye that were coming after him. They kept leaping up at him, trying to hit him, but each time he would move out of the way, causing them to comically fall short of getting him. "Come on, you guys! We weren't doing anything wrong! Besides, I don't really like to fight!" he exclaimed. But the Sableye wouldn't hear it and one managed to hit him with a Shadow Claw. After recovering from the attack, he glared at the Sableye, "Okay, it was different before you hit me, but now that you did that, I'm going to have to get serious with you!" They charged at him with Fury Swipes ready, but he showed them that he meant what he said by hitting them with a Silver Wind. Not only did it stop them, but it knocked them off their feet.

Near the back of the clearing, Grovyle was easily holding his own against the last two Sableye, using Leaf Blade to keep their claws from reaching him. Although they were attacking him, it seemed to him that they were also trying to get to Celebi, who was floating in front of the rock behind him. She was looking around uncertainly, not sure whether to flee or join in on the brawl. Unbeknownst to her, Dusknoir was secretly preparing an attack for her, despite the fact that he was hanging back. Due to the omnipresent darkness, it was almost impossible to see his shadow creeping across the ground…

Suddenly, Dusknoir's shadow leapt out of the wall just behind Celebi, causing her to whirl around in shock! Before she could react, the shadow punched her in the face, knocking her down onto the ground. Grovyle, who had just knocked a Sableye back with Bullet Seed, looked back when he heard her shout and yelled, "Celebi!" This left him open and the remaining Sableye slammed into him with Zen Headbutt.

With Grovyle down for the moment, Dusknoir quickly flew towards Celebi, attempting to grab her before she or Grovyle could get back up. Unfortunately, it seemed he underestimated Grovyle, as the Wood Gecko Pokémon recovered faster than he expected and leapt after him, using Quick Attack to catch up with him. Although it didn't do much damage, Grovyle managed to knock Dusknoir down onto the ground before he reached Celebi. As he struggled to hold Dusknoir down, Grovyle called to Celebi, "Celebi, get out of here! Hurry!" The Time Travel Pokémon looked up at him with uncertainty. Could she trust him?

Dusknoir growled, "Get off of me!" After a moment of struggling, he managed to knock Grovyle off of his back. Grovyle landed on his back, but he sat up as Dusknoir got off the ground and turned to face him. "What's wrong with you, Grovyle? Why are you getting in my way?" Dusknoir demanded.

Grovyle leapt to his feet and asked, "What, the answer isn't obvious?" He noticed that Celebi's wings were beginning to flutter and that she looked like she was going to try to get away.

Dusknoir noticed what he was looking at and was about to make another move for Celebi when Grovyle leapt in front of him to block him. The ghost growled, "Very well, Grovyle. If you're going to keep standing in my way, then I'll deal with you first!" With that, he brought his fist back and swung it at Grovyle in a ThunderPunch. Grovyle responded with a Leaf Blade, keeping his feet planted firmly on the ground as his blade came into contact with Dusknoir's fist.

Grovyle continued to push against Dusknoir's fist for several minutes until he heard both Drake and Errol let out a shout, causing him to turn his head in their direction. Taking advantage of his brief confusion, Dusknoir pulled back his other fist and hit Grovyle with an Ice Punch! It lifted him off the ground and made him land on his back, near where Celebi had been. Realizing this, he got up and looked around for her; he'd been so focused on Dusknoir that he hadn't bothered to keep an eye on her!

He didn't get much time to look, unfortunately, as the two Sableye he'd been battling earlier leapt at him, both of them attacking with Fury Swipes. They eventually leapt away and Grovyle shook his head for a moment, trying to get rid of some of his disorientation. He then opened his eyes to look at Dusknoir, only to widen them a moment later. While the Sableye were attacking him, Dusknoir had been charging up a Dark Pulse and was now firing it at him, a beam of black and purple circles coming towards him.

The beam hit Grovyle directly in the chest, pushing him backwards. It slammed him into the rocky wall, continuing to push against him for a moment longer before stopping. Grovyle remained stuck in the wall for a second before falling face first onto the ground. He managed to lift his head up and open his eyes, though his vision was beginning to blur. He could make out Dusknoir approaching him and Drake and Errol off to the side, being attacked by all of the Sableye, before his vision blurred completely and everything went black…

* * *

Music:

Nasty Surprise - A Sinister Smell (Team Skull's Theme) (PMD: EoT/EoD/EoS)

Visiting Mammy Kangaskhan - Toad Town (Tayce T.'s Kitchen) (Paper Mario)

Team Skull's Raid - Ice Land (Super Mario Brothers 3)

Meeting Celebi - Emerald Nights (Hedgehog Heaven)

Dusknoir's Arrival - Dark Land (Super Mario Brothers 3)

Battle Time! - Encounter (2008) (Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots)

Defeated... - Fission Mailed (Game Over - Raiden) (Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty)


	7. Hidden Ally? Discovery

"SMILES GO FOR MILES!"

"Okay, Pokémon! Time to get to work!" Chatot said to all the guild members and Team Skull, everyone except the members of said team cheering afterwards. With that, Wigglytuff and Chatot went back inside the guild, followed by Team Skull. Everyone waited until they were out of sight before doing the same, nobody wanting to be right behind the trio.

While he and Piplup were coming down the ladder, Chimchar held a hand up to his face and yawned. Piplup glanced up at him and said, "You sure sound tired, Chimchar."

The fire monkey shook his head and then rubbed his eyes with an arm as he replied, "Yeah. I kept hearing things during the night; because of that, I had a little trouble sleeping."

Piplup said, "I figured that. Even with Loudred, it took you a little while to actually get up. That's why we had to rush to join the rest of the guild." The former human remembered having to shake Chimchar and practically drag him out of the room earlier, a sign of role reversal if he ever saw one. Normally, he was the one that took a little while to really get going.

After they reached the bottom of the ladder, Chimchar moved towards the second ladder, saying, "I'm gonna go get my Relic Fragment from our room. I forgot to grab it when I grabbed my Defense Scarf." Piplup nodded and said that he'd check out the boards in the meantime.

Before Chimchar could even start down the second ladder, however, Chatot poked his head up through the hole, startling the fire monkey. Chatot immediately noticed this and quickly said, "Oops, sorry about that! I have an urgent request for you two!"

Piplup cocked his head to the side and asked, "What kind of request?"

After Chimchar backed up next to Piplup, Chatot fluttered out of the hole and landed in front of the duo. He then said, "We need you to replenish the larder today."

Chimchar asked, "Larder? As in go get some food?"

Chatot nodded, "Correct. This morning, we discovered that the guild's food stock has mysteriously become surprisingly low. Particularly pressing is that our entire stock of Perfect Apples was empty. That was the only item to get completely cleaned out."

Piplup asked, "Perfect Apples? Those must be delicious."

Chatot replied, "Indeed, and they're very big too. But more importantly, they're the Guildmaster's favorite food! To be honest, it's the only thing he eats. If he didn't get a Perfect Apple, the Guildmaster would, um… The Guildmaster would…"

Chimchar ventured to ask, "If Guildmaster Wigglytuff found out there were no Perfect Apples, what would he do?"

Piplup also asked, "Would he get angry?"

Chatot immediately exclaimed, "NO! Much worse! The G-Guildmaster would… Yes, that's what would happen." Both Piplup and Chimchar looked at him in confusion, not really catching what Chatot was getting at. The Music Note Pokémon then continued, "That's why I'm begging you two to get some Perfect Apples."

Piplup said, "Uh, okay. But where are we supposed to find these Perfect Apples? The Kecleon Brothers don't sell them, do they?"

Chatot replied, "No they don't. They didn't the last time I checked with them anyway. But that's okay; Perfect Apples can be found deep in Apple Woods."

Chimchar said, "I know where that is! My parents used to take me with them sometimes to help them pick food! We'll go find those apples for you, Chatot!"

Chatot smiled, "Good!" He then put a more serious look on his face as he said, "Now remember, this might seem like a simple errand, but it's a crucial job. After all, this is about the Guildmaster's… So please don't fail!"

Chimchar nodded, then turned to Piplup and said, "We'd better leave now if we're going to be back by tonight. It's a bit of a walk to Apple Woods."

Piplup replied, "Okay. But what about your… you know?"

Chatot flapped his wings as he quickly said, "No no no! He's right, you know! It would be best for everyone if you got back as soon as possible! You have your assignment; I trust that you know what to do and will get it done!"

Piplup shrugged, "Oooooookay then…" He then headed for the ladder leading out of the guild, Chimchar following close behind.

Unbeknownst to Team Poképals, Team Skull had overheard their entire conversation with Chatot from beside Croagunk's shop. "Whoa-ho-ho! Looks like they're going out foraging for food," Koffing said.

"That's because we feasted last night. A thankless task thanks to us, chaw-haw-haw!" Skuntank grinned.

"Heh-heh-heh! Let's mess with them!" Zubat chuckled. Even though they were right beside Croagunk's shop, it was hard to say whether the Toxic Mouth Pokémon had heard what they were saying or not.

Piplup and Chimchar decided to go to Treasure Town before heading out, stopping by the Kecleon Brothers' shop to see whether or not they had any Perfect Apples. When they learned that they didn't, they purchased a few supplies and set out, heading east past Serenity River and Lush Prairie before heading northeast, arriving at the entrance to Apple Woods a little over an hour after they left. Piplup looked around at all the trees and asked, "So this is the entrance to Apple Woods?"

Chimchar nodded, "Yep. Chatot said we need to go to the deepest part of the woods to find the Perfect Apples. Come on, I'll show you the way!"

As they started walking, Piplup asked, "Have you ever seen these Perfect Apples before, Chimchar?"

Chimchar glanced back at him before replying, "A couple times, I think."

Piplup raised an eye, "You think?"

Chimchar came to a stop and turned around, saying, "Well, my parents never let me go very deep into the forest, even if they were with me. But sometimes when they went by themselves, they'd come back with one or two really big apples! They looked kind of like the apples that Guildmaster Wigglytuff dances with at dinner, so they must've been Perfect Apples!" Satisfied with that reasoning, Piplup dropped the subject and they both focused on the path in front of them.

A while later, Piplup and Chimchar had gotten pretty deep inside Apple Woods, though they were moving slower now that they were past the farthest point Chimchar had gone. Along the way, they ran into Gloom, Exeggutor, Beedrill, and Burmy, all of which had acted very territorial and didn't take kindly to Team Poképals' 'intrusion'. There were tough, but between Piplup and Chimchar watching out for each other and the supplies they had picked up, they didn't have too much trouble.

By this time, it was getting a little harder to see due to all the tree branches and leaves in that particular part of Apple Woods. Chimchar's flame made up for it somewhat, and the two pressed onward deeper into the woods, searching for the Perfect Apples. As they walked past two trees that had branches growing close to each other, there was a flash of movement up on two of the branches. Piplup came to a halt and looked back, not because he thought he heard something but because, for a second, he thought he saw a shadow coming up behind them.

Chimchar came to a stop when he realized he couldn't hear Piplup behind him and looked back to see the penguin looking up at the tree branches. "Piplup? Is something wrong?" he called.

Piplup looked in Chimchar's direction, then back up at the branches for a moment before moving to catch up with him. "No, I guess not," he admitted.

Chimchar asked, "Did you hear something?"

Piplup was about to reply when they both heard rustling somewhere in the bushes. "No, but I do now!" he said.

They both looked around for a moment before looking in the direction where the rustling was the loudest. Piplup stood a short distance in front of Chimchar, both of them ready to attack if need be. They began hearing the sound of voices in the distance, which sounded like angry shouts. All of a sudden, without warning, white needles flew out of the bushes in Team Poképals' direction!

Piplup leapt backwards, seeing as the needles looked like they were going to hit him, and almost lost his balance as he landed on one foot. "Piplup!" Chimchar exclaimed, running up behind him and grabbing him before he fell over.

As soon as he was grabbed, Piplup felt a familiar sensation overcome him. "This feeling again…" he murmured.

_**Piplup's vision**_

_A Pokémon walked down a set of stairs, entering Spinda's Café while carrying what appeared to be a box in its hands. The Pokémon, although it was shaded, looked very familiar for some reason. It walked over to the Juice Bar and spoke to Spinda with the voice of a young boy, "Excuse me. You're the owner of this café, Spinda, right?"_

_The Spot Panda Pokémon replied, "Yes I am! What can I do for you? Would you like some juice?"_

_The Pokémon shook its head, "I'm sorry, but I don't have time right now." It held up the box in its hands and asked, "Can you do me a favor and hold onto this package for me?"_

_Spinda looked at the box, seeing that it was just a plain box with nothing unusual about it other than the fact that it seemed rather big, and said, "Certainly! How long will you be leaving it here?"_

_The Pokémon replied, "Actually, I want you to give it to someone. I'd pass it on myself, but I really need to get going. If you see them, can you give it to Piplup and Chimchar from the Wigglytuff Guild?"_

_Spinda clapped his hands and said, "Of course I can! They've been coming by every day since we opened, even if it's just to talk!"_

_The Pokémon nodded gratefully, "I really appreciate it. Thank you."_

_**End of vision**_

Chimchar pushed Piplup up into a standing position and asked, "Are you okay, Piplup?"

The penguin looked over his shoulder at Chimchar and replied, "Yeah. Thanks, Chimchar." The fire monkey smiled at that.

They then turned back towards the bushes, realizing that the rustling was now approaching them. They stood in place, waiting; suddenly, a green reptilian head poked up out of the bushes. Both Piplup and Chimchar were a bit surprised, realizing it was a Scyther's head. The Scyther in question looked at them and, after a moment, spoke, "Well, what do we have here?"

Both Piplup and Chimchar stepped back as the Scyther stepped out of the bushes, soon followed by a Sandslash and a Zangoose. When the Sandslash saw the duo, he asked, "Team Poképals?"

Chimchar said, "Hey, you're Team Razor Wind!"

Piplup asked, "Were you guys making all that noise just now?"

Scyther shrugged, "…Yeah. Some Combee, Butterfree, and Beedrill had a problem with us wandering around the woods for food supplies. They didn't ask us to stop or anything, they just started attacking. We answered in kind."

Zangoose, who didn't look the least bit pleased to see the two, asked, "So what are you two rookies doing here?"

Chimchar said, "We came to restock the guild's food supply."

Zangoose asked, "What, that birdbrain Chatot can't go buy some food at the store? He has to send apprentices out to the woods to get it?"

Piplup answered, "Well, the Kecleon Brothers didn't have any Perfect Apples in stock this morning. So… yeah, I guess so."

Sandslash perked up, "Perfect Apples? There's a tree up ahead with some growing on it! We'll show you where it is!"

Zangoose turned to look at him and growled, "Excuse me? Sandslash, we're an exploration team, not a help desk if you recall!"

Sandslash backed away at his leader's yelling, but soon regained his composure, "Well, I know that. But you did say they wouldn't be able to beat Gabite and get one of his scales after the way he beat us. Don't you think you owe them something for making fun of them like that?"

Zangoose glared at Sandslash with his bright pink eyes narrowed and his teeth bared, looking about ready to burst a blood vessel. After a minute, he backed off and growled before saying, "Oh fine! We'll show you where the apple tree is! Come on!" He then began to walk off deeper into the woods, followed soon after by his teammates and Team Poképals, unaware that a set of red eyes up in the trees were watching them.

After a couple of minutes of walking, the two teams arrived at a small clearing, the tree covering above being less thick. Walking to the center of the clearing, Zangoose stopped and turned to face Piplup and Chimchar, saying, "There. This is as deep as we can take you into Apple Woods."

Scyther raised a scythe up towards the tree that Zangoose was standing in front of and said, "That's the Perfect Apple tree. Not a lot of Pokémon venture this deep into the woods, so the tree is usually abundant with Perfect Apples."

Piplup glanced up at the tree and, after a moment, said, "This must be one of its busier days, then. There are only a few apples up there."

Sandslash looked up at the tree and raised a claw to his chin, "That's odd. I could've sworn it had more apples a little while ago. And you two are the only ones we've seen this deep in the woods."

A familiar voice suddenly laughed, "Chaw-haw-haw! Maybe you'd better get your nose checked, spine ball!"

Everyone glanced around the clearing at that, Zangoose growling, "Who's there? Show yourself!"

Some of the leaves on the Perfect Apple tree shook, Skuntank's head popping out a moment later as he gave another "Chaw-haw-haw!" Koffing and Zubat soon poked out of the leaves as well, all three of them jumping down to the ground a moment later.

Chimchar gasped, "You guys?"

Skuntank grinned, "That's right, chaw-haw-haw! Team Skull at your service!"

Zubat smirked, "Oh look. They brought a fur coat and bug juice along with the spine ball. Is that what held you two up?"

Koffing added, "Yeah, you guys took so long, we decided to have a picnic of Perfect Apples while we waited."

Zangoose growled, "Say that again to my face, stink bags! My claws haven't had anything to slash for the past few minutes; they're itching to do some skinning and so am I!"

Skuntank smirked, "Skin us? After we came all this way to help Team Poképals with their little errand? That's not very nice of you!"

Piplup raised an eye, "Say what?"

Skuntank spoke, "You must be wondering how to get those Perfect Apples down from the tree, correct? It's simple enough. Just watch." He sauntered over to the left side of the tree and braced himself. Then he started ramming it with his head, hitting it three times before several apples fell from the tree.

Chimchar gasped, "Wow! Perfect Apples!"

Skuntank came back around to the front of the tree and said, "You see? Like I said, simple. Think you can handle those apples yourselves or would you like us to escort you back to the guild since we were just about to go back anyway?"

Scyther eyed the three of them, saying, "That's nice of you. Too nice."

Skuntank gasped, pretending to sound hurt, "What? Are you saying you don't trust me? And after what I just did?"

Piplup glared at him, "Well, I don't trust you either! You're up to something, aren't you?"

Chimchar growled, "Of course they are, Piplup! Even I can see that!"

The members of Team Skull looked at Team Poképals in surprise for a moment before turning to face each other. "Color me surprised! They didn't fall for it at all!" Zubat said.

"Aw. That's no fun," Koffing murmured.

Skuntank turned back to face Piplup and Chimchar, saying, "Guess you two are smarter than I thought if you could see through that."

Zangoose growled, "Well they're already smarter than some of that guild's runaways! So why don't you just give the greenhorns their apples and get out of here!"

Skuntank chuckled, "Oh what? You think them not being fooled is going to make a difference? And what do you plan to do if we don't want to give them the apples?"

Zangoose held up his right paw, the claws pointing upward, and smirked, "You should know that nobody badmouths Team Razor Wind. I might've been willing to let it go, but if you want to try playing tricks on some kids, then it's going to get messy!" Both Scyther and Sandslash tensed up at that, ready to fight, Piplup and Chimchar doing the same.

Skuntank mocked, "Oh, so it's just for the sake of your own ego or something? Well, whatever. If you're going to mess with our attempt to mess them up, then we'll gladly take you all on, fair and square!"

Zangoose chuckled, "Hope you've been getting ready for shedding season! By the time I'm through with you, you won't have a speck of fur left!"

Skuntank and Koffing got in front of the two teams while Zubat flew back by the tree. Chimchar said, "They're up to something! Be careful!"

Scyther spoke, "What could those two possibly do against the five of us?"

Skuntank laughed, "Chaw-haw-haw! How about this! The Skuntank and Koffing noxious gas combo!" With that, Skuntank sprayed a foul-smelling fluid from the top of his tail while Koffing unleashed a purple cloud full of his gases at the two teams, the smell of the gases being enhanced by the smell of Skuntank's fluid. It didn't even take a minute for the two teams to start collapsing after just being surrounded by the stench…

**A while later…**

"…lup! Piplup! Wake up!" The sound of Chimchar's voice drifted into the former human's ears, rousing him once again from a state of unconsciousness. Piplup, having ended up on his back, sat up and shook his head. Chimchar asked, "Are you okay, Piplup?"

Piplup looked to his left at Chimchar and said, "I think so. That was disgusting…"

Chimchar was about to comment when both he and Piplup heard groaning at the base of the Perfect Apple tree. Looking in that direction, they realized that it had come from Zubat. From the look of things, that combo that Skuntank and Koffing did had accidentally knocked him out as well. After he managed to get up off the ground, he looked around and, after realizing where he was, exclaimed, "Waaah! They left without me!" He quickly flew out of the clearing, one of his wings hitting Sandslash's face as he went. Piplup and Chimchar watched him go, deciding not to go after and gang up on him.

That wing slap to the face caused Sandslash to stir, the Mouse Pokémon's eyes soon opening. After sitting up and noticing Piplup and Chimchar were awake, he asked, "Hey, what happened?"

Chimchar said, "I think we all got knocked out by that combo attack…"

Piplup groaned, "Ugh, I can still smell it. Probably gonna need to take a bath or something tonight…"

Sandslash glanced around and noticed that Zangoose and Scyther were still out. Leaping to his feet, he began shaking them, shouting, "Zangoose! Scyther! Come on, guys, wake up!"

While watching Sandslash as he tried to rouse his teammates, Chimchar suddenly realized something and turned to Piplup, exclaiming, "Oh! What happened to the Perfect Apples?" Piplup's eyes widened at that and he quickly got to his feet, both him and Chimchar looking around frantically. "Ah! They're all gone! Did those bullies eat them?" Chimchar wondered. Piplup circled around the tree, wondering if one fell off the tree that maybe they missed, while Chimchar groaned, "If they're all gone, there's nothing we can do."

Piplup called from behind the tree, "I found one!" Chimchar looked up to see his friend coming back around the tree while holding a pretty big apple over his head, trying to keep a firm grip on it. Once he made it over part of the tree, he sighed, "This thing's kind of heavy. How does Wigglytuff manage to juggle it so effortlessly?"

Chimchar smiled, "Guildmaster Wigglytuff is awesome like that, Piplup! And now thanks to you, we'll be able to bring him a Perfect Apple for tonight! Chatot might not be happy that we didn't get more, but we can come back and pick more for him! At least we won't be going back empty-handed!"

Suddenly, Zangoose spoke, "Actually, you will." Without warning, the Cat Ferret Pokémon snatched the apple out from between Piplup's wings, surprising him and Chimchar further. Before either of them could ask, Zangoose went on, "Those stink bags not only insulted my team, but they had the nerve to defeat us with a dirty trick like that! And all because Sandslash had to volunteer to help you two! So I'll just be taking this apple as a form of compensation for this mess!"

Piplup yelled, "What? You know, you didn't have to help us! You could've just left after he told us where the tree was! You might want to do something about that temper and pride of yours!"

Chimchar meekly added, "Besides, we need to take that apple back to the guild! We're all out of Perfect Apples and it's the only thing that Guildmaster Wigglytuff will eat!"

Zangoose growled, "All the more reason I should take it! He's been getting a cut of our profits since the day you two joined the guild and I'm sick of it! We aren't even affiliated with his guild and we have to pay him! This is my payback; he can go without one of his precious Perfect Apples for one day!" Without waiting for another word from Team Poképals or anything his teammates had to say on the matter, Zangoose stormed out of the clearing, clutching the Perfect Apples in his left paw. Sandslash and Scyther looked at each other for a moment before begrudgingly following after him, Sandslash shooting Piplup and Chimchar an apologetic look.

Piplup glared after Zangoose, about ready to go chase after him and force him to give the apple back. Before he could move, Chimchar laid a hand on his shoulder and, when the penguin turned to look at him, said, "Forget it, Piplup. It's not worth it." Piplup looked at him questioningly, but the fire monkey just said, "There's nothing we can do now. Let's go back to the guild." He then started walking, his shoulders sagging and his head down as he walked slowly. Piplup watched him for a moment, a worried look on his face, before slowly following after.

**Later that evening, back at the Wigglytuff Guild**

"Whaaaat? You failed? How did this happen?" Chatot exclaimed in shock. He was meeting with Piplup and Chimchar on the first floor of the guild, all the other guild members down on the second floor at the moment. He began flying around frantically, sputtering, "This can't be! Oh no! Oh no! What am I going to do?"

Chimchar spoke, "Chatot, sir, we can explain. You see, we ran into Team Razor Wind as well as…"

Chatot landed in front of the two and squawked, "Quiet! I don't want to hear any excuses! You leave me no choice! Both of you will go without dinner tonight!"

Piplup gasped, "What? Why?"

Chatot sternly said, "I told you this wasn't just a simple errand! It was an important job and you failed to complete it! I could make your punishment much more severe!" Piplup was about to say something else, but that last sentence cut off any further thought of doing so.

Chatot turned away from the two and spoke to himself, "What am I going to say to the Guildmaster? Upon hearing my report, the Guildmaster is sure to…" He began to panic again, letting out a yell as he flew around the room. He eventually landed in front of Team Poképals again and sternly said, "I will report this to the Guildmaster after dinner. You two will be there when I do so. If I had to face the Guildmaster's wrath all by myself, that would hardly be fair. Therefore, you both will report to the Guildmaster's chamber after dinner! Is that clear?"

Chimchar nodded, "Yes sir…"

Chatot replied, "It better be! If you try to sneak off, you'll be in even more trouble than you already are!" He then flew deeper into the guild, leaving Piplup and Chimchar alone.

After a moment, Piplup headed for the ladder leading out of the guild. Chimchar noticed and asked, "Piplup? Where are you going?"

Piplup looked back at him over his shoulder and said, "I'm just going outside for some air. I'll be back in time to see Wigglytuff." Without another word, he climbed up the ladder and out of the guild, leaving Chimchar to wonder how he was handling the situation.

Out in front of the guild, Piplup was sitting with his back up against one of the totem poles, watching the sunset. For some reason, the night felt strange to him, like he wasn't used to sleeping through it like most other Pokémon did. He briefly wondered about this before his thoughts turned to Team Skull and Team Razor Wind. He sighed and his head slumped back, now looking straight up at the sky. What did he and Chimchar ever do to them? It's not like they ever battled against either of them or anything like that, so what reason did they have to be messing with them like this? It was so confusing, yet, strangely, so familiar…

"_Wait. Confusing? Confusing…_" Piplup thought to himself. That's when he remembered: the vision! Piplup leapt to his feet and dashed towards the stairs, running as fast as he could. Hopefully the café wasn't closed yet; the sooner he confirmed his vision, the better.

Piplup sighed in relief when he noticed a light coming from the bottom of the hole in the ground. Spinda's Café was still open. Dashing down the stairs, he looked around the café, seeing a few customers enjoying their last drinks for the night, and noticed Spinda behind his juice counter. Thankfully, there was no one in line, so he ran up to the counter, saying, "Spinda!"

The Spotted Panda Pokémon noticed Piplup approaching and, when he got to the counter, said, "Hello, Piplup! Where's Chimchar this evening?"

Piplup panted, "He's back at the guild. It's just me, but that doesn't matter. Did anyone come here looking for us?"

Spinda's ears perked up and he said, "Now that you mention it…" He went to the far end of the counter and came back, pulling something with him. He then grunted and lifted it up, setting it on the counter and revealing that it was a slightly bigger than normal box. It had no other distinguishing features; no labels or markings or anything. Spinda sighed before saying, "A Pokémon came by here earlier and asked me to give this to you when I saw you."

Piplup slid the box off the counter and set it down on the ground. Noticing that the top wasn't sealed, he opened it and looked inside. He gasped; inside were two things: a Perfect Apple and a folded piece of paper. Piplup grabbed the paper and unfolded it, finding it to be a letter. He read it to himself:

_Dear Piplup and Chimchar of the Wigglytuff Guild,_

_If you're reading this, it means that you've found my parcel. You don't know me, but I and the rest of my team have heard about you from listening to some of your fellow guild members._

_I saw you today when my leader sent me on an errand to collect berries and apples from the Oran Forest and Apple Woods. I also saw what that Team Skull gang did to you guys. I would've taken care of them for you, but… well, I won't go into that now. The point is that Team Skull didn't get all the Perfect Apples they knocked out of the tree. There were a few behind the tree that they missed. I would've left them in the clearing for you guys to take, but I didn't want to risk Zubat or some other Pokémon making off with them. That's why I grabbed one while you guys were knocked out, boxed it up, and am leaving it with someone who will pass it onto you._

_I would like to tell you more, but my leader doesn't know what I'm doing right now and is probably wondering why it's taking me so long to get back. I hope we get a chance to meet face-to-face soon._

_Sincerely,_

_CF_

Piplup raised an eye at the end of the letter. "_CF? Are those somebody's initials?_" he wondered. He was jerked out of his thoughts by Spinda, who asked, "What's going on, Piplup? Come on, you can tell me! Maybe over a nice glass of apple juice?"

Piplup gasped at that, remembering that the guild was probably going to be done with dinner soon and what he and Chimchar were supposed to do afterwards. He folded the letter up and slid it under his 'cape' for easy storage; he then picked up the box and turned his head to look at Spinda, saying, "I'm sorry, but there's no time! I have to get back to the guild right now, but I'll tell you what's going on later, once I figure it out!" Without another word, he ran for the stairs, having to poke his head around the side of the box to see.

**Meanwhile…**

Chimchar nervously walked up to the side of the door leading to the Guildmaster's chamber, twiddling his fingers together nervously. He'd just seen Chatot go in a minute ago and figured that he was already starting to lose his temper. "_What's taking Piplup so long? He said he'd be right back…_" Chimchar mentally muttered to himself.

He cringed when he heard Chatot's voice come through the door, "Team Poképals! Get in here!" Reluctantly, Chimchar pushed the door open and walked in.

Wigglytuff smiled happily upon seeing Chimchar and exclaimed, "Hiya! Friendly friend Chimchar!"

Chatot didn't share Wigglytuff's apparent enthusiasm and angrily demanded, "Where is Piplup?"

Before Chimchar could say anything, they all heard Piplup yell, "Wait! I'm here! I'm coming!" He was scrambling down the ladder to the second floor as fast as he could, but he wasn't as fast as he would like to be at the moment. After all, he had to climb up the stairs at the front of the guild and then climb down two ladders, all the while carrying the box with him. Having to look around the box to see where he was going was disorienting as well.

Still, he managed to reach the second floor of the guild and was now rounding the corner to the Guildmaster's chamber. Unfortunately, he didn't see Skuntank and his cronies standing near the other side of the door, which meant he didn't see Skuntank's tail sweep across the ground and in front of his feet. The gesture knocked him off his feet, causing him to sail through the air and lose his grip on the box. It landed on its side in the Guildmaster's chamber, the opening pointing towards Wigglytuff. As a result, its contents rolled out towards him shortly after it landed. Wigglytuff gasped upon seeing the Perfect Apple, "Oh, oh? Is that a Perfect Apple? For me?"

Piplup lifted his head off the ground, his 'crown' having a green stain on it due to landing face first on the grass, and said, "Yes, Wigglytuff. Special delivery, just for you."

Wigglytuff gleefully leapt up from his chair and picked up the Perfect Apple, hugging it tightly as he said, "That is so sweet! A Perfect Apple, just for me… Thank you, friendly friend Piplup!"

Chatot waved his wings in confusion and said, "W-wait a minute. I thought your report was that you didn't gather any Perfect Apples."

Piplup stood up and rubbed the back of his head with a wing, nervously replying, "Uh, yeah, that's what happened. But someone around town managed to help us find this one after we got back. Since you told us to come with you to see Wigglytuff, it seemed like the best time to give it to you, even if it's just one apple…"

Wigglytuff came over and patted Piplup on the head, saying, "That's okay. After all, you brought me this one! Just try harder next time; don't worry, I'm sure you'll get the hang of it soon. I know this is going to sound odd, but please don't feel blue." He then turned to Chatot and asked, "It's okay, isn't it, Chatot?"

Chatot looked at Wigglytuff in silence for a moment before replying, "Er, yes, I suppose it is, Guildmaster. But still, that is the only Perfect Apple we have right now. We still need to harvest more for tomorrow at least…"

Suddenly, they all heard Skuntank's voice, "Oh, there's no need to worry yourselves about tomorrow." Everyone turned to see Team Skull entering the room, Koffing and Zubat floating/flying ahead to push Piplup and Chimchar out of the way. Skuntank then came forward and set a Perfect Apple on the ground. He then said, "Here you go. A genuine Perfect Apple, ready to be eaten tomorrow. Please accept it as a token of our friendship."

Wigglytuff cheered, "Yay! Two Perfect Apples! Thank you! Friends! Friends!"

Chatot hopped down from his perch and said, "Thank you so very, very kindly! We are so very grateful that you would go out of your way to help with this important matter!"

Skuntank replied, "Chaw-haw-haw. Why, there's no reason we wouldn't try to help. After all, your guild has been very generous and hospitable to us. It's our way of repaying the favor."

Chatot smiled, "Ah! I see you're the most admirable of Pokémon. To be able to embark on an expedition with someone as noble as you… It will be truly inspiring!"

Skuntank chuckled, "Chaw-haw-haw. No, no! You will be the ones who inspire us. Truly, we look forward to our expedition. It's late now, so we'll be off to bed. Until tomorrow then. Chaw-haw-haw!"

Team Skull then exited the room themselves, Wigglytuff ushering Piplup and Chimchar out while saying, "Thank you! Good night! Friends! Friends!"

**A short while later, Team Poképals' room**

Chimchar stood near the window, looking out at the night sky while Piplup sat in his bed of hay. The penguin knew what was coming; Chimchar was going to have questions for him and he wasn't going to let the matter go until he got some answers. So Piplup waited patiently for him to start talking.

Eventually, Chimchar turned around to face Piplup and asked, "Where did you find that Perfect Apple? Somehow, I find it hard to believe that someone in Treasure Town just suddenly helped you get it and box it up."

Piplup looked down and sighed before looking back up and saying, "Okay, so I stretched the truth a little. But just a little!" He reached under his 'cape' and pulled out the letter; he stood up and held it out towards Chimchar, saying, "This was in that box too."

Chimchar took the letter and read it himself, quietly muttering the words to himself as he did. When he finished, he looked up at Piplup and asked, "So according to this, someone just happened to be in the woods at the same time we were and decided to help us?"

Piplup shrugged, "That's about all I can gather too. I have no idea what 'CF' is short for."

Chimchar nodded, then asked, "But where did you find this, Piplup?"

The penguin answered, "Spinda's Café. I had another vision just before we ran into Team Razor Wind. I had no idea what was going to happen, so I didn't think about it all that much. I only just remembered after I stepped outside, I swear!"

Piplup looked like he was going to keep going, but Chimchar silenced him with a finger to his beak, saying afterwards, "I believe you, Piplup. And I understand why you might not want to tell Chatot that someone we don't know saw the 'wonderful' Team Skull attack us and wanted to help us get out of trouble."

Piplup asked, "You do?"

Chimchar nodded, then looked back at the letter as he said, "I don't know what to make of the Pokémon who did this for us, but it does make me curious. I just wish we had something more to go on than just two letters so we'd know when we found this guy or his or her team."

Piplup nodded, then groaned as his stomach growled, "Oh, I feel so hungry right now. I'm sorry I didn't remember sooner, Chimchar. I know you're hungry too."

Chimchar moved a hand to Piplup's shoulder and said, "It's okay, Piplup. Really. Even if you knew that the box had a Perfect Apple in it and had gone right after Chatot was done with us, dinner would've started by the time you got back. Let's just try to get some sleep and worry about tomorrow, okay?" Piplup nodded and untied his Joy Ribbon while Chimchar did likewise with his Defense Scarf, both of them setting their items beside the Treasure Bag and Chimchar's Relic Fragment before lying down and trying to go to sleep.

Elsewhere in the guild, Skuntank, Koffing, and Zubat were still up. Skuntank growled, "Argh… I can't believe those two actually managed to find a Perfect Apple to bring back. They ruined a good chance."

Zubat spoke, "Then why'd you go in with our Perfect Apple anyway, Chief? Clearly, we didn't get to see what Wigglytuff would've done to them if they didn't have an apple. There was really no reason to please him further."

Koffing nodded, "Yeah, my thoughts exactly."

Skuntank growled at them, "No, not that! Think about it; why'd we come here in the first place? The expedition, right? Right now, we need to gain Wigglytuff's trust, but them giving their Perfect Apple to him first means we get less trust as a result!"

Koffing said, "Oh… I get it now."

Skuntank went on, "Besides, what could've Wigglytuff done to those two that would be so worth watching anyway? Sure, I was playing it cautious at first, but it's been ridiculously easy. Wigglytuff's been nothing more than a big baby. He's no big deal; I don't see why everyone's so terrified of him."

Zubat asked, "Chief, do you think there's any truth to that blue boy's story about someone helping them find that Perfect Apple?"

Skuntank said, "If it is true, then I'm going to have a few words for them if I find them. But that's for later; right now, our focus is the expedition. If we find a treasure while on the expedition…"

Koffing nodded, "We knock out the guild's crew."

Zubat concluded, "Then we snatch the treasure and skedaddle on out!"

Koffing chuckled, "Whoa-ho-ho! This plan is a sure thing."

Zubat snickered, "Heh-heh."

Skuntank laughed, "Chaw-haw-haw."

* * *

Grovyle's eyes twitched, a low groan escaping his mouth as he tried to shake off his unconsciousness. He could feel his head and neck moving a bit, but the rest of him felt like a lead weight. Strange… It felt like his back was against a wall, yet there didn't seem to be anything holding him in place, so why couldn't he move?

His thoughts were scattered all throughout his head, nothing seeming to be clear at the moment. The sound of a familiar voice fixed that, though, bringing his mind together like a straight line. "So you're finally awake, eh Grovyle?"

The wood gecko gritted his teeth as his eyes shot open. He never could forget Dusknoir's voice, and opening his eyes revealed that the Ghost-type was right in front of him. "Dusknoir!" he growled and tried to leap up, but neither his legs nor his arms responded to his commands.

Dusknoir floated over beside Grovyle and leaned against the wall, saying, "Relax, Grovyle. There's no need to get so tense. You won't be going anywhere for a while anyway."

Grovyle continued to struggle, trying to stand up but hardly even twitching. He finally demanded, "What have you done to me, Dusknoir?"

The Gripper Pokémon replied, "Easy. I snuck a Stun Seed into your mouth a little while ago. The effect has probably worn off enough for you to be able to move your upper body parts, but the rest of you is paralyzed at the moment." He let Grovyle stew over that for a minute before asking, "Do you know where we are, Grovyle?"

Grovyle looked at him out of the corner of his eye, "Temporal Tower?"

Dusknoir replied, "No. The stockade. Don't tell me you've forgotten already."

Grovyle huffed, "I just woke up from being knocked out, Dusknoir. I think you could cut me some slack." A thought then crossed his mind and he demanded, "What happened to Celebi? And where are my friends?"

Dusknoir answered, "Thanks to you, Celebi managed to get away. As for the Gabite and Mothim, they're in their cells right now. You'll be going to yours after I'm done with you."

Grovyle spat, "I'm sure I will."

Dusknoir floated in front of Grovyle and grabbed him by the bottom of his head, turning it so the wood gecko was looking at him. "This is very serious, Grovyle; if you cooperate, I won't have to be rough with you. If you want to treat this like a joke, then I can't be held responsible for what will happen to you," he whispered in a cold tone, letting Grovyle know he wasn't playing around.

Grovyle looked back at him coolly, waiting for him to begin. Finally, Dusknoir let go of him, Grovyle's head slumping down for a moment while Dusknoir floated a short distance away from him. He then spoke, "We've known each other since we were hatched, Grovyle. The Pokémon working under Master Dialga at the time took us in, raised us. We worked together on assignments more often than not. So tell me, what prompted you to go out and be a rebel?"

Grovyle looked to the side as he said, "I was sick of the work I was doing, Dusknoir. It was the same thing every time: find out what Pokémon Dialga thought was a threat, track it down, capture it, and send it off either to a prison cell or some other horrible fate. I don't even see what Dialga was worried about; they'd have to be able to reach the Dark Land if they wanted to pose any kind of threat to him. Not even half of the Pokémon we arrested had any means of reaching this floating island. What was the point?"

Dusknoir turned around to face him and said, "To keep everyone in line, of course. You let something go unchecked for too long, Grovyle, and sooner or later it starts to spread. That's why it must be treated before it gets out of control."

Grovyle snorted, "So rule through fear and intimidation is the only way to go, is that what you're saying?"

Dusknoir didn't answer him, instead asking, "What I'd really like to know is how your 'reason' justifies that scene you made when you left?"

Grovyle rolled his eyes, getting the feeling that Dusknoir didn't believe in what he was preaching by his refusal to answer the question, and said, "Well clearly, I wasn't going to be let go, whether you were there or not. And a seven on one matchup seems a little unfair, don't you think? I had to do something to even it up, and a Luminous Orb was the only thing I could think of that could do that. Not to mention that knocking you and the Sableye out made it harder for you to find me."

Dusknoir said, "Ah yes, you and your always trying to be prepared." He then floated over to Grovyle and looked him right in the eye as he continued, "Well let me tell you something, Grovyle. You don't have your supplies with you now, and even if you did, there isn't an orb out there that can get you out of this. You're in trouble for what you did, and you'll be staying here until you've paid the price and agree to make amends."

Grovyle was about to retort when, suddenly, they both heard a Sableye ask, "Um, Master Dusknoir?"

Dusknoir whirled around to face the Darkness Pokémon and yelled, "What? I'm in the middle of something here!" The Sableye scurried over and hopped onto Dusknoir's shoulder, whispering something into his ear. When he finished, Dusknoir's eye widened as he said, "Oh? Interesting… Well, bring him in, then!" The Sableye leapt down onto the ground and scurried out of the room, Dusknoir turning to Grovyle afterwards and asking, "You overheard my conversation with Master Dialga earlier, didn't you?"

Grovyle huffed, "What if I did?"

Dusknoir replied, "Well, IF you did, then you must've heard something about a project. You're about to see something that relates to that project." He then turned back to look at the door, Grovyle shifting an eye to look in that direction as well.

They soon began to hear the sound of voices, one of the Sableye saying, "Come on, get a move on, will you?"

An unfamiliar voice replied, "Okay, I know. You caught me, so now I have to cooperate." Judging from the sound of the voice, the voice's owner was probably a young boy. Grovyle mentally grimaced, "_Another prisoner that's a kid? What does Dialga want with some kid?_"

He soon got his answer when the new prisoner stepped into the room. He had white feet, blue legs, a black abdomen curtained by blue sides and arms, peach-colored hands and face, blue eyes, and short brown fur on top of his head…

Grovyle eyes widened as he realized what the new prisoner was. "_A human?_"

* * *

Whew! I actually wrote this one pretty fast. I know I read it over before putting it up, but I hope I didn't make any major errors.

Anyway, Team Razor Wind makes another appearance. Seems like Zangoose has a problem with rookies who make him eat his own words, huh?

And thanks to a mysterious helper, Piplup, Chimchar, and Chatot manage to avoid Wigglytuff's wrath. Hmm, 'CF'... I know at least one person who knows what that's short for, but don't worry. By the end of next chapter, everyone will know!


	8. Operation: HB Pals

To the northwest of Treasure Town, out over the ocean, a Pelipper flew through the sky, aiming for an island. Chimchar held onto its back, looking up at the sky, while Piplup poked his head out from its beak, looking down at the water below. They both couldn't ride on its back, so Piplup agreed to ride in its beak since Chimchar wouldn't be able to. As they began to see the island in the distance, the Pelipper said, in a female and muffled voice, "I still hot sure ahout 'his. You're both certain 'ou really want to do 'his?"

Piplup turned his head in the direction of the Pelipper's face and said, "Hey, we agreed to take on your request. After all, nobody else was really jumping up to accept the offer after they heard about this Mt. Mistral."

Chimchar nodded, "Right. Team Glee is more about making others feel happy and Zangoose from Team Razor Wind… Well, it was his choice, but he could've been a little nicer about refusing to accept the mission. That kind of left us as your only option at the time."

Pelipper replied, "Alright, hut I still hon't like it, hending 'ou kids out to a place like 'his."

Chimchar said, "Don't worry about us, ma'am. We'll be fine! Right, Piplup?"

The penguin called back, "Yeah, you bet!" He then looked back down at the water, reflecting on this morning's events that led up to this point.

Following the morning words of encouragement, Chatot announced that, although there wasn't a set date, they would be announcing the members of the expedition party soon and that this would be the last chance for everyone to make an impression. He then made sure to mention to Team Poképals that, even though they had brought a Perfect Apple to Wigglytuff in the end, their initial failure to gather many Perfect Apples might be taken into consideration when selecting expedition members. This brought their spirits down, but Chimecho, Sunflora, and Bidoof were able to rejuvenate their spirits when they revealed that they set aside a little of their dinners last night for the two.

Afterwards, they got a few words of encouragement from Croagunk, which surprised them since Croagunk was normally silent and usually didn't try to help his fellow apprentices like that, and learned a little bit about his newly reopened Swap Shop. Outside the guild, they learned that something was going on at Spinda's Café and went to check it out. According to Spinda, it was a new service called Project P, which aimed to use the items gathered at the Recycle Shop in order to find new, unexplored locations and discover treasures within the newly uncovered Mystery Dungeons. And these treasures would sometimes mean that rare items could be obtained at the Recycle Shop. From the sound of things, it was all part of a cycle that relied on the Exploration Teams to keep it going.

Once all the excitement had died down somewhat, the customers began to make use of the Café's services again. While Piplup and Chimchar were trying to decide whether to get some juice before setting out for the day, a Pelipper came into the Café, looking for an Exploration Team to help her with her request. In the end, she had no choice but to tell Piplup and Chimchar about her request, a mission that involved going to Mt. Mistral.

According to Pelipper, a gang of Pokémon being led by an outlaw Onix raided Mt. Mistral and had taken over the mountain, due to many of the Pokémon there being part Flying-type. Pelipper had a Gliscor friend that managed to escape to the mainland and tell her about what happened. After she made sure her friend would be okay, Pelipper headed for Treasure Town to find a team that would take on the assignment to capture the Onix and drive his gang off of Mt. Mistral. It took only a moment for Piplup and Chimchar to agree to take on the assignment, even though they knew it would be a tough mission.

Realizing they were serious about helping her, she agreed to take them to the island, having been there before. As he reached the present state of affairs, Piplup realized that Pelipper was beginning to descend, heading for a strip of solid land. When they touched down, Chimchar climbed off of Pelipper's back while Piplup climbed out of her beak. Once he was out, she sighed, "Whew… That's better. Sorry, but it's kind of hard to talk with your mouth full."

Chimchar smiled, "Yeah, we know. So where do we go from here?"

Pelipper raised a wing and pointed to the western side of the island, having chosen to land on its southeastern tip. She then explained, "You'll have to head that way along the coast to reach Mt. Travail. I would've flown you closer, but I know from past experience that trying to fly past Giant Volcano often ends up being a mistake due to there usually being a lot of smoke in the air. It'll be easier to go the rest of the way on foot."

Chimchar nodded, "I see. Well, don't worry. We'll find that Onix and bring him to justice!"

Before they could leave, Pelipper said, "Wait! I… I'll go with you. I know a few Water-type moves, so I'll be able to help you both out. I just really don't like the idea of leaving you two kids to go off on your own for such a dangerous mission."

Piplup said, "Hey, if you want to help, that's fine. I know you're reluctant about this since we're currently a Bronze Rank team, but you can trust us. We'll come back in one piece."

Pelipper sighed, "I know. It's just that… well, if I had to wait here for you two to come back, I'm sure it would drive me mad with worry. But I promise I won't be a burden on you two. This cooperation will be beneficial for both of us." Piplup and Chimchar finally agreed to this, so the three of them set out for Mt. Travail.

Almost an hour later, the trio had passed by Giant Volcano, the mountain almost sounding like it would erupt any minute as they did, and were currently walking between the coast and a smaller mountain. All of a sudden, the ground underneath Piplup and Chimchar's feet began to rumble. Suspecting that it was an earthquake, Pelipper grabbed them both with her feet and lifted them off the ground. After about a minute, the rumbling stopped and Pelipper set the two back down. She then sighed, "Glad that stopped. It must've been from the Giant Volcano."

Chimchar nodded, "Yeah, probably. Let's keep moving!"

A voice from out of nowhere shouted, "You three aren't going anywhere!" They all looked around frantically, but they couldn't see anyone. Suddenly, something shot out of the ground in front of them, spinning as it went up into the air. It looked like a drill, but at the height of its jump, it unfolded into a bipedal mole-like Pokémon that had a white face, red diamond patterning on the side of its head, forelimbs, legs, and on its underside, and its head folded down behind its back, resembling a hood.

Piplup pointed at the Pokémon and demanded, "Who are you?"

The Pokémon yelled, "You think you can ask me questions? Well, let me tell you something! You don't get that luxury! You're trespassing on my leader's land and I'm going to give you one chance to turn around and leave!"

Chimchar held up his fists and asked, "Well, what if we don't want to leave?"

The Pokémon growled back, "Then you'll pay the price!" After it said that, the three of them heard the sound of something scraping against rock to their right and turned to look. A Steelix was coming down the mountain and it was looking at them with an angry expression. Then they heard the sound of water splashing and turned to see a Quagsire leaping out of the water. They then heard the sound of stomping behind them and turned to see a Nidoking blocking off the path.

Pelipper turned to look at the Pokémon in front of them and asked, "What do you think you're doing? You can't just gang up on us like this!"

The Pokémon answered, "We're not ganging up on you… yet. This is your last warning. Turn back now and leave this island!"

Piplup said, "I get it now! You must be followers of that Onix on Mt. Travail!"

The Pokémon nodded, "That's right we are! Now are you going to leave or what?"

Chimchar yelled, "You can't force us to leave! We're not going anywhere!"

The Pokémon said, "So be it!" The Steelix, Nidoking, and blue Pokémon all tensed up at that, preparing to attack. Chimchar started to look nervous at that, so Piplup and Pelipper got on opposite sides so that he was between them. The Pokémon in front was about to give the order to attack when it suddenly noticed something unusual. "Hey… Why does it feel so hot all of a sudden?" it wondered. Suddenly, something burst out of the ground right underneath it!

Piplup looked on with wide eyes at what he was seeing. "What the…?" he breathed at the sight. What could only be described as a snake or worm made up entirely of flames was pointing up straight out of the ground, something at the head of the snake pounding the Pokémon multiple times before sending it flying. It then moved down towards the ground and coiled itself up, just like a real snake.

Chimchar placed a hand on Piplup's shoulder as he asked, "Piplup…? What is that…?" The former human had no answer to that question; whatever this snake thing was, it was pretty intimidating. Even as a Water-type, he had a feeling he would stand no chance against it. The Steelix, on the other hand, didn't seem to be afraid of it at all and charged towards it, firing a DragonBreath at it. The flame snake uncoiled itself and slithered underneath the green beam of air, soon slamming into Steelix and pushing it against the side of the mountain.

The Quagsire grunted, "Huh, big deal. No matter how tough that thing is, it's still made up of flames, which gives me a huge advantage." Just as it was about to attack the flame snake with a Hydro Pump, something tapped it on the back. It turned around to look, but saw nothing there, so it shrugged it off. Then it was tapped on the back again, but this time when it turned around, it saw a black aura claw with a purple outline seemingly floating there, which slashed it across the face.

This sent it flying, but it didn't go far as a long, stretchy tongue suddenly shot out of nowhere and wrapped around its foot. The tongue swung it around in a circle before letting go, sending the Quagsire flying into the Nidoking, who was trying to sneak up on Team Poképals and Pelipper. They collapsed in a heap and, shortly afterwards, there was a flash of movement between the three of them and the two collapsed Pokémon. Shortly afterwards, a Kecleon appeared between the two, being the same color as the green Kecleon Brother but this one was wearing a black hip bag around its zigzag pattern, the bag itself positioned on the Kecleon's front. From where they were, Piplup, Chimchar, and Pelipper could see a flame symbol on the back of the bag's band, resting just above the base of the Kecleon's tail. They couldn't see that the top of the bag itself had this same symbol on it.

The Nidoking got up first and glared at the Kecleon, growling, "How dare you attack us like that! Sneaking around so that no one can see you… That's no fair!"

The Kecleon shot him a smug look and asked, its voice clearly indicating it was a male, "Oh, and setting up an ambush like yours and ganging up on other Pokémon isn't?"

Nidoking growled, "Why, you…!" A yellow outline then formed around him and he slammed his fist into the ground. At that point, glowing gold cracks began to form across the ground and went under the Kecleon, hurting him. The Nidoking smirked, "How do you like that, you cocky little…?"

He was cut off in mid-sentence by the Kecleon's tongue, which ran up under his jaw. The Kecleon then said, "Not bad. It's pretty powerful, I'll give you that, but now you're finished!" The Nidoking and Quagsire prepared to attack together, but their eyes then fell on the flame snake, which had finished with the Steelix and now seemed to be coming towards them. Before it could get too close, however, it suddenly leapt up and, when it touched the ground, burrowed underground.

Everyone except the Kecleon looked around nervously, wondering what the snake was up to. They soon got their answer; the snake resurfaced underneath the Nidoking and Quagsire, sending them skyward with more force than the other Pokémon. The Kecleon leapt up after them and yelled, "Synchronoise!" His body then generated an odd shockwave, which struck both the Nidoking and the Quagsire hard. Due to that earlier Earth Power, the Kecleon was now Ground-type, which is why the attack had such a powerful effect on those two. They soon landed on the ground, defeated.

After landing, the Kecleon turned to Piplup, Chimchar, and Pelipper and asked, "You folks all right? Sorry about the sudden intrusion, but it didn't seem like a fair fight."

Piplup said, "Uh, no, we're fine. And thank you for helping us." Both Chimchar and Pelipper echoed that last part. They then turned their attention to the snake as they realized it seemed to be vanishing. The tail was the first thing to disappear, the rest of the body soon following until all that was left was a spinning ball of flames. That soon vanished as well and the Pokémon within dropped to the ground. Piplup, Chimchar, and Pelipper were surprised by what they saw; underneath that fiery snake, which moved and acted like a real snake, the Pokémon was a… Chimchar?

This Chimchar looked very similar to Piplup's partner, except, while it was falling, they noticed it was wearing a black headband that had the same flame symbol that was on the Kecleon's bag. Speaking of bags, this Chimchar had a bag similar to Team Poképals' Treasure Bag, but it was orange and had that flame symbol on the side. The Chimchar managed to land on his feet after coming out of the Flame Wheel and struck a pose while saying, "Yeah! That's what you get when you mess with us!" Piplup looked at the Chimchar in surprise, realizing that it spoke with the voice of a young boy. "_He sounds just like…_" he thought to himself.

The Chimchar soon noticed Piplup and started, "Hey… You're…"

He didn't get to continue since the Kecleon came over and said, "Come on, man, we've gotta get going! The rest of the team is waiting for us!" He then began to pull the Chimchar along with him, calling back to Team Poképals and Pelipper, "Sorry, we've got somewhere we need to be! Be careful if you're going to be hanging around here!" And with that, they were gone.

Piplup, Chimchar, and Pelipper stayed where they were for a while, looking in the direction the two had taken off in. Chimchar eventually found the voice to say, "Wow… Who were they?"

Piplup muttered, "I don't know either, but that other Chimchar sure sounded familiar…"

Pelipper flew in front of the two and said, "We can worry about that later! We have to get moving!" Piplup and Chimchar then remembered why they came out to the island in the first place and they continued on their way to Mt. Mistral.

**About half an hour later…**

The three Pokémon arrived at the foot of Mt. Mistral. They looked up at it; it appeared to be a pretty sizable mountain, at least twice as big as Mt. Bristle. It seemed to get darker up near the top, possibly due to the clouds in the sky. Chimchar turned to Pelipper and asked, "Do you have any idea where Onix might be?"

Pelipper answered, "I wouldn't know for sure since I wasn't here to see what happened. But Gliscor did mention that Onix seemed to be headed for the top of the mountain. So it's likely that he's up there somewhere."

Chimchar turned back to look up at Mt. Mistral and, after a moment, said, "All right, then. We'd better get going then!" He was about to start walking when Piplup place a wing on his shoulder and gave a light tug. When Chimchar turned his head to look at him, the penguin pointed towards a large rock not far from where they were. Near the left side of the rock, Chimchar noticed somebody was standing there, looking at them and making a gesture. Confused, both Piplup and Chimchar began walking over to the rock with Pelipper following behind.

As they got closer, they realized that the Pokémon standing there was a Riolu. When they were just about in front of it, they could see that the Riolu was wearing a black scarf with a familiar flame symbol and it had a blue backpack on, the front of which had the same flame symbol on it. They also noticed that, running diagonally from the very right of its hip all the way up to its left shoulder, some of its fur seemed to be slightly discolored. When they reached it, the Riolu said, in an unmistakably male voice, "Thanks for noticing me. You guys were just about to walk into dangerous territory."

Piplup replied, "Oh. Well, we knew that already. That's why we came here."

The Riolu asked, "You mean you guys are here on a mission?"

Pelipper nodded, "That's right. Team Poképals here agreed to take on my request to capture the outlaw Onix that's taken over Mt. Travail."

The Riolu's eyes brightened at that, "Oh, so you're the Piplup and Chimchar we've heard about! Well, we happen to be on the same mission!"

Chimchar asked, "Who's 'we'?"

The Riolu answered, "Me and my team. Follow me." He led the three of them behind the rock, where they saw not only the Chimchar and Kecleon from earlier but also an Eevee with a yellow Treasure Bag that had the same flame symbol as the other Pokémon and a black band on its tail that also had that symbol. The Eevee looked a little wary at first, but the Riolu gave a gesture that meant the newcomers were friendly. He then turned back to Piplup and Chimchar and said, "We learned a little bit about you guys through your buddies at the Wigglytuff Guild. It's nice to meet you."

Piplup said, "I'd say the same about you, except we don't really know anything about you guys."

The Riolu smiled, "Oh right, introductions." He held a paw to his chest and said, "I'm Mike Victor. I'm the leader of this team." He then gestured, first to the Chimchar and then to the Kecleon, as he said, "You've already met, though haven't been introduced to, Carl Frank, our heavy hitter, and Ali Uday, the master of camouflage." Carl grinned at the trio while Ali waved a paw. Mike then walked over to the Eevee and said, "And of course, I'd never forget Helina Stanina. If there's an opponent that can take a lot of hits, then she's the first one to get a go at them. When that's the case, the Pokémon had better hope their defenses somehow hold out, because otherwise they're no match for her!"

Helina nudged Mike in the side and, when he looked at her, smiled, "You say some of the nicest things, Mike." Mike smiled back at her and the two rubbed their foreheads against each other, Pelipper quietly sighing at this sight while Piplup and Chimchar quietly looked on.

After a moment, Ali spoke up, "And there's one more member: Alwin Arno. He's a Starly; Mike sent him to the mainland to run an errand. He should be back in a while."

Mike looked up and said, "Thank you, Ali." He then turned to Piplup, Chimchar, and Pelipper and said, "So there you have it. We're Team HBM, because making your problems disappear is just that easy!"

Chimchar breathed, "Wow… So cool…" He then asked, "Hey, what's 'HBM' short for?"

Before Mike could answer him, Pelipper spoke up, "Excuse me for interrupting, but there's still a mission to take care of? And how do you know about what's going on here at Mt. Travail, Mr. Victor?"

Mike replied, "Call me Mike. As for the mission, Helina came across a Gliscor after one of her missions. He told her what had happened and, when we met up again, she told us. It sounded like it could be a tough mission, so we agreed to handle it together."

Pelipper said, "That Gliscor must've been my friend, the one who told me about it. I'm glad he's still doing all right."

Carl asked, "So what now? We came to help just like you guys did, but you're the ones who got the proper request."

Piplup shrugged, "Maybe we could work together. It couldn't hurt for you guys to have some extra help, could it?"

Mike rubbed his chin as he said, "True, and it would be pretty pointless for you guys to have come all this way just to leave because you're not wanted. Plus, according to Alwin, we're looking at the possibility of there being a lot of Rock-types." He looked up at Piplup and Chimchar and nodded, "Sure, let's do it! Nothing wrong with a few extra guests at a party!"

Chimchar smiled, "Awesome! Let's get going, then!"

Helina spoke, "Wait, hang on! Before he left, we agreed to wait here until Alwin got back. I'm sure he'd have no trouble finding us with those eyes of his, but he'd still get worried."

Chimchar said, "Oh. Well, I can understand that."

Piplup asked, "How long ago did he leave? Do you think he'll be back soon?"

Mike closed his eyes and the dreadlocks on the sides of his 'mask' began to shake. Noting Piplup, Chimchar, and Pelipper's expressions at this, Ali explained, "Mike is a little more than your average Riolu. He's able to use and manipulate Aura just like his evolved form can. Aside from Aura Sphere and Detect, he's also got a couple moves he invented himself."

After about a minute of silence, Mike opened his eyes and looked to the south, saying, "Alwin will be back soon. Right about… now, in fact."

Everyone looked up at the southern skies at that. True to Mike's word, they soon saw a Starly heading in their direction. It had a black band on its right wing that Piplup, Chimchar, and Pelipper assumed had Team HBM's symbol on it and a gray Treasure Bag that had the symbol on it around its shoulder and trailing behind it. Alwin soon came in for a landing, speaking after he touched down, "Sorry I kept you guys waiting. Are we…?" He stopped short when he noticed Team Poképals and Pelipper; he then turned to look at Mike and asked, "What happened while I was gone?"

Mike scratched the back of his head and gave a slight grin as he said, "Not much, Alwin. We just happened to see the Wigglytuff Guild's newest recruits and now we're going to be working together on Mt. Travail."

Alwin looked at Piplup and Chimchar and asked, "Really? So you're Team Poképals?" After they nodded, he asked, "Who's your Pelipper friend?"

Chimchar answered, "We agreed to take on her request. She's our client!"

Alwin turned to her and asked, "Are you going to be coming with as well?"

Pelipper answered, "Well, I was coming with before since I was worried about leaving Piplup and Chimchar to go off by themselves, but I'm not very strong."

Alwin said, "Maybe it would be better if you waited right here then. I went back to Treasure Town to alert Officer Magnezone to what was going on, but only his Magnemite lieutenants were in. They said that as soon as Magnezone got back, they'd be coming to help arrest Onix."

Pelipper asked, "What does that have to do with anyone staying behind?"

Alwin explained, "Well, I promised them that someone would be waiting here to show them the way. From the sound of things, the officers don't usually go out to the islands to make arrests, so they aren't always familiar with some of the Mystery Dungeons out here. Besides, isn't the safety of the client important?"

Pelipper looked down as she said, "Y-Yes, I suppose it is. But what if I get attacked while I'm down here? And are you sure you're all going to be all right up there?"

Carl said, "I wouldn't worry about getting attacked. As soon as we start raising a ruckus up there, I'm sure they'll focus more on trying to get rid of anyone on the mountain than off of it."

Mike added, "And you don't have to worry about us getting in any trouble. Team HBM operates a little differently from most other teams. Typically, we handle missions independently; each member gets a different mission so we can work on more missions in a day. We usually only pair up for missions that sound like they would be hard. It's rare for us to be all together in one area like this. Believe me, we're going to be taking this seriously."

Pelipper could tell that Mike meant what he was saying, so she figured trying to argue wouldn't do any good. "All right, if you say so. But all of you had better be careful. And you'd better believe that I won't be wasting any time finding you once Officer Magnezone gets here!"

Mike nodded, "Fair enough." He then turned to his teammates and Team Poképals and said, "All right, let's get moving!" Everyone nodded and followed him around the rock, over to a nearby slope leading up Mt. Travail while Pelipper watched from behind the rock.

For the first couple of minutes of climbing, there was silence between the two teams. Both Mike and Alwin were doing some surveillance, Alwin searching from above while Mike used his Aura to search for any Pokémon that were disguising themselves or hiding underground, and everybody was keeping quiet for Mike's benefit. Alwin eventually descended and perched atop Ali's head, at which point Mike's eyes opened. Helina looked between the two as she asked, "Did either of you see anything?"

Mike answered first, "I didn't see anything below us or coming up." He looked up at Alwin and asked, "What about you?"

Alwin shook his head, "No sign of any Pokémon, but it looks like there's a path coming up. There might be something along there."

Seeing as there didn't seem to be anything dangerous coming up for a bit and the members of Team HBM seemed to be thinking of something that might start up a conversation, Chimchar asked, "So where do you guys come from? It doesn't sound like you all come from the same place."

Mike rubbed a finger against his forehead as though he were searching for the right words to use before replying, "Well, you're partly right. We don't come from the same place, per se, but that's not really a problem."

Carl nodded, "We're kind of all over the place; except for meeting places, we don't really have one set place that we come back to. But Treasure Town's a pretty cool place. Everyone there is nice and friendly. Though it did kind of stink the last time we were there."

Piplup held his wings behind his head as he said, "Yeah, Chatot and Wigglytuff kind of helped with that." At Carl's confused look, Piplup explained, "The guild is going to be leaving on an expedition soon. In order to make us stronger, we've got some temporary allies living with us that really aren't all that pleasant to be around. They're called Team Skull."

Carl nearly lost it as he exclaimed, "What? Those guys are… I mean, one team is responsible for what we smelled?"

Chimchar nodded, "Yeah. Two of the members are Skuntank and Koffing. Even when they're not trying to, they're usually making a stink."

Alwin smiled, "An expedition, huh? You two gonna be a part of it?"

Chimchar looked away and frowned, "We… don't know yet. We kind of messed up on a mission the other day and it might hurt our chances, according to Chatot." Carl looked a little worried at the sound of that.

Mike patted him on the shoulder and smiled when he looked at him, "Hey, I'll bet that's part of the reason you took on Pelipper's request, right? To show Chatot that having you two come along would be beneficial to everyone?" At Chimchar's hesitant nod, Mike continued, "I'm sure it will help with Chatot, but you don't you don't have to push yourselves. As long as you're working hard, I'm sure both he and Wigglytuff will come to understand that yesterday might not have been one of your better days. As long as you two keep working hard, I'm sure you'll end up being picked to go with the rest of the guild."

Piplup asked, "You really think so?"

Helina smiled, "Mike has a thing about these kinds of things. He has a real knack for being right when it comes to judging things."

Ali grinned, "For better or worse, that is."

Piplup looked at Mike at that and eyed the discolored part of his fur for a moment before asking, "Mike, did something happen to you?" At the Riolu's confused look, Piplup pointed at his fur and said, "From your hip up to your shoulder… Your fur looks a little off. Is that natural or…?"

Mike looked down at himself and said, "Oh, that." He came to a stop, everyone else doing the same, and held his paws up between his abdomen and chest. He then parted the fur, Piplup and Chimchar wincing a bit at what they saw: underneath the fur was a large scar. It looked like someone or something did a number on the poor Riolu. Mike said, "This would probably explain it better than words can."

Chimchar murmured, "Ouch… What happened to you?"

Mike let his arms fall to his sides, his fur covering up the scar again, and said, "Trust me on this one. You really don't want to know what happened." He and the rest of the team shivered at that, though Mike's shiver was pretty noticeable.

Piplup rubbed the back of his head, realizing he probably hit a tender subject head-on, and decided to return to an earlier subject. "So you guys don't have a lot of set places to come back to, huh? Does that mean you're your own team?" he asked.

"If you're asking whether we're associated with anyone or not, the answer's no. We come across missions as they come and we do them," Helina answered.

"That must be nice, getting to take the jobs you want and be able to hold onto any rewards you get. Chatot always gets a hold of any rewards first and picks out the guild's share before giving what's left to whoever did the job," Chimchar said.

Mike smiled, "It's fine for us since we've been in a similar line of work for a while, so we're tough enough to be able to split up to handle more jobs. Of course, there's nothing wrong with a guild either; we just, uh… didn't have the luxury of being near any guilds when we made our team, so we just set out on our own." With the tension in the air having been lifted, the two teams started walking again, resuming their ascent of Mt. Travail.

They soon came across the path that Alwin had mentioned earlier, though now that they were close to it, they realized it looked more like a trail that something left behind. Before they could all leap down into it, Ali pointed out a nearby hole in the wall, noting that it also seemed to have been made by something. "Mike, can you tell if this goes anywhere?" the Kecleon asked.

Mike held his paw out towards the hole and closed his eyes, his dreadlocks shaking as he focused his Aura. After a minute, he opened his eyes and said, "It looks like it leads partway up the mountain, maybe even emptying out near that trail." He held a finger up to his chin as he said, "It might be safer, but it looks too narrow for all of us to fit in and be able to move around effectively."

Alwin spoke, "I second that. I'm not all that good in tight, enclosed spaces."

Chimchar looked down at the path before looking back at Mike and asking, "Mike, what if we split up?" When the Riolu looked at him, he shrugged, "I mean, it's an idea, anyway…"

Mike thought about it, saying, "Yeah, it is." Glancing between the trail and cave, he eventually said, "I guess either way, if we all went together, we'd be hindering each other. There's a lot of room on that trail, but we might attract more attention. The cave offers some protection, but if we get attacked in there, we won't have a lot of room to maneuver."

Piplup asked, "So what's the plan?"

Mike replied, "We'll split up, one team on the path while the other goes in the cave."

Helina immediately went to Mike's side and said, "You can decide which one you want to take. Either way, I'm going with you."

Alwin said, "Well, I'm not going in that cave. The hole is sizable, so it might have some ceiling to it, but even if I went in alone, I wouldn't be able to do much. I'll fly above the path."

Chimchar turned to Piplup and said, "We'll probably be better in an open area. What do you say we go with Alwin?"

Piplup shrugged, "Sure, sounds good to me."

Ali turned to Carl and said, "Maybe you should go with them, Carl. Even with Piplup being the perfect match for any Rock-types, they could use your raw power."

Carl grinned, "Sweet! I was hoping either you or Mike would say that! I am so there!"

Mike smiled at Ali, "So are you going to be putting your sneaky style of battling to good use with me and Helina, Ali?"

The Kecleon smiled back, "For sure! If I can get around to the other side of an opponent while it's busy with you two, it'd be a great chance for a pincer attack!" Satisfied with the plan and their members, the two parties temporarily went their separate ways up the mountain.

Alwin flew high above his group, scanning the ground below for any signs of trouble while occasionally checking on Carl, Piplup, and Chimchar. From what he could see, Piplup was keeping an eye out as well while Carl appeared to be eager to get to know Chimchar. Alwin smiled to himself at that; it had to be partly because they were the same species of Pokémon.

"Really? So you haven't always lived in Treasure Town?" Carl was asking.

"Yeah, that's right. I used to live in a rocky village to the southeast, not far from the ocean. I left when I discovered I really wanted to be an explorer. I wanted to get the best training around, even though I was a little cowardly and weak when I left. I still am, actually, but I'm old enough that everyone agreed that I should be allowed to make my own decisions. My parents were sad to see me go, but they still supported my decision and let me leave for Treasure Town. I still write to them when I get the chance to," Chimchar explained.

"So that's when you joined the guild, right?" Carl asked.

Chimchar shook his head, "No. I lived in Treasure Town for a while, getting to know everything and everyone. I guess I could've tried to join earlier, but I don't care. After all, I probably wouldn't have met Piplup if I did!"

Carl looked over at Piplup, who had been listening the whole time even though he was looking around, before saying, "So you met him in Treasure Town and he wanted to become an explorer too, so you decided to go to the guild and form a team together. Is that how it worked?"

Chimchar replied hesitantly, "Er, no. You could say that I kind of… stumbled upon him by accident."

Carl looked over at Piplup again, beginning to wonder about him, when the penguin asked, "Hey Carl, your last name is Frank, right?" At the other Chimchar's nod, he continued, "You weren't in Treasure Town by yourself the other day, were you?"

Carl replied, "I might've been. Why?"

Piplup said, "I'm just wondering. The other day, we got a package from somebody who was only identified as 'CF'. And your voice sounds a lot like a Pokémon I saw in Spinda's Café. Maybe it's just an odd coincidence, but…" Carl started to look nervous at that.

Chimchar said, "I don't know, Piplup. After all, 'CF' could be short for a number of things. And plus…"

Carl interrupted him by saying, "Okay, okay, you got me! I'm the one who saw you get attacked by those Team Skull idiots in Apple Woods and left the box with the Perfect Apple in it at Spinda's Café! I was going to tell you after the mission, but it looks like you somehow figured it out on your own."

Piplup looked guilty at that, saying, "Gee, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you, Carl…"

Carl sighed, "No no, it's all right. I just didn't expect you to make the connection that fast."

Chimchar smiled, "Well, we're really grateful that you did that for us even though you didn't really know us at the time. Thank you, Carl."

Carl smiled back at them at that, but then a thought crossed his mind. He turned to Piplup and asked, "Did you guys get back from Apple Woods by early afternoon? Because I thought you were still in the woods when I dropped the apple off, but you said you recognized my voice. So did you…?"

He was cut off when Alwin suddenly swooped down in front of the trio and said, "Heads up, guys! The welcome wagon's on its way down!"

They soon heard the sound of something heavy hitting against the ground further up the path. "Geez, that sounds like a lot of Graveler or something similar!" Carl said.

"You got it right the first time, Carl! Graveler, and enough of them to make a rolling wall down this path! I can't carry you all out of harm's way, so we need to do something fast!" Alwin said.

Chimchar turned to Piplup and asked, "Piplup, isn't there something you can do to stop them?"

The blue penguin thought for a moment before saying, "I've got an idea! Stay back!" He then ran further up the path, stopping up on a part of the path that sloped upwards. From that spot, he could see the Graveler rolling down not too far ahead. Just like Alwin said, there were a lot of them, and they were coming down fast.

After taking a moment to inhale, Piplup unleashed a ball of water from his beak towards the ground near the bottom of the slope he was on. It burst upon contact with the rocky ground, sending drops of water flying. He then moved back down the path a bit, stopping and turning to look up at the slope, the sound of the Graveler approaching getting louder.

As Piplup suspected, the water from the Water Sport messed with the surface of the rocky path, which threw the Graveler off when they came rolling over the wet spots. They bounded up into the air over the top of the slope clumsily, flailing through the air as they came back down. Before they could land, Piplup blasted them with several Brines, sending them back towards the mountain summit, which was presumably where they headed when they finally landed.

Chimchar, Carl, and Alwin came up behind Piplup, Chimchar saying, "That was awesome, Piplup!"

Carl grinned, "I'm impressed. Those were some good Brine attacks. Do you know how to do Hydro Pump yet?"

Piplup turned around and sheepishly rubbed his head as he spoke, "Hydro Pump? Uh, well I haven't tried to do it before."

Alwin suggested, "Maybe this mission would be a good time to see if you can? But for now, let's keep moving. If they've got Pokémon up there ready to ward off intruders, then dime to a dollar they'll be sending more down sooner or later." Everyone nodded and Piplup, Chimchar, and Carl started walking again while Alwin took to the air again.

**Meanwhile…**

Mike, Helina, and Ali were making their way through the cave, walking along the inclined path that had been dug out. Mike had his eyes closed, scanning ahead with his Aura while Helina and Ali kept watch for any sneak attacks from behind. Since they were in a closed space, Mike didn't need to focus as much to watch for anything up ahead, so the three were having a conversation while they walked.

"So Mike, what do you think?" Helina asked.

"The world's a big place, and everybody has the potential to do great things. They just need to be willing to work for it," the Riolu replied matter-of-factly.

Ali chuckled, "I think she was referring to Team Poképals, Mike."

Mike said, "I know. They're small, but even now they're starting to look like a team that'll do great things. And they definitely have the mindsets to make it happen. Although…"

Helina asked, "Although…?"

Mike replied, "It's just Piplup. I looked at his Aura before we split up and… well, it's just unusual. I don't know how to explain it."

Ali asked, "Aura is kind of like the ethereal essence of a living thing's being, isn't it? What did you see that was so unusual?"

Mike answered, "Well, even though I could see the color of his Aura, it looked off somehow. I wonder if that relates to his past or something. But more than that, when I looked at him hard, I could almost see his Aura take the shape of… what we used to be."

Helina asked, "You mean… you think he's really…?"

She was cut off when a loud growl reverberated through the cave, the sound waves bouncing off the walls like a tennis ball. "Hey Mike, what was that?" Ali asked as the three of them came to a stop.

Mike focused his Aura a little more, looking a little farther ahead up the cave. Soon, he could see a faint Aura outline further along in the cave. "It's a Rhyhorn! And it's coming this way!"

Helina asked, "Is it coming to attack us?"

Mike replied after a moment, "I don't think so. I think it just started running and forgot why it's doing so in the first place. So I think we need a roadblock." The Riolu took a few steps forward and held up his arms, pressing the palms of his paws against each other. A red light began to form between them and the sound of ice moving could be heard. When he separated his paws, they were covered in what appeared to be glowing bright red ice. He then bent over and placed them against the ground; seconds later, a thick wall of the same ice grew out of the ground until it reached the ceiling.

Mike stood up straight a moment later, his paws still glowing as he stepped back. The three of them soon heard the sound of the Rhyhorn's pounding footsteps as it began to get closer. "Hopefully, the combination of the wall's thickness and the dry ice-like cold of your Aura will be enough to force it to stop," Ali murmured.

Seconds later, they heard a loud crash as the Rhyhorn hit the wall of Aura. The Rhyhorn ended up crashing through to the other side, but immediately after landing, it slid to a halt, Mike, Helina, and Ali moving out of its way. Even though it was strong enough to break through, it clearly did not enjoy going through Mike's Aura.

Mike turned around to look at the Rhyhorn and asked, "Hey, are you okay?"

The Rhyhorn stayed where it was, shivering for about a minute before turning around and asking, "What did you say?"

Mike replied, "I asked you if you were okay."

The Rhyhorn smiled, "Yeah, I feel fine now!" Then it seemed to realize something and asked, "Wait, what did I do that made you wonder if I wasn't okay? And who are you three, anyway? I don't remember seeing any of you in boss Onix's gang!"

Ali spoke, "Oh, you know where the big snake is? We're trying to find him."

The Rhyhorn replied, "He's at the top of Mt. Travail, in a cave. He's being guarded by a lot of personal Rock-type bodyguards."

Mike smiled, "Really? Well, thanks for your help."

Helina nodded, "Yep. Thanks for pointing us in the right direction."

The Rhyhorn smiled as they started walking away, "My pleasure." Before they could leave its sight, the light bulb in its head seemed to go on again since it yelled, "Wait a minute! You're here to arrest Onix, aren't you?"

Mike muttered, "So much for managing to sneak away without a fight."

Helina smiled, "Just leave it to me and Ali, Mike. We can take him."

The Rhyhorn prepared to charge the trio with a Take Down attack, but before it could charge, Helina attacked it with a Quick Attack. The hit didn't do much damage, but it did keep the Rhyhorn from charging at them. It raised a foot, trying to hit Helina with a Stomp attack, but she was a nimble little Eevee. Too nimble for the Rhyhorn to smash, it seemed.

After avoiding another Stomp attack, Helina leapt towards the Rhyhorn, swinging her tail around as it became surrounded by white sparkles and took on a white outline. It then turned into iron and she swung it into the Rhyhorn's face, pushing it back a few feet.

After shaking its head, the Rhyhorn ran back towards her with its horn pointing forward in a Horn Attack. She avoided the horn, but ended up being hit by Rhyhorn just below the horn's base. It sent her flying, but she easily shook it off and somersaulted in midair, landing on her paws. She grinned at the Rhyhorn before turning around so her back legs were facing it, using them to kick mud from the ground at its face with a Mud Slap attack, which forced it to close its eyes. While it was trying to wipe the mud away, Helina leapt at it again, this time with a Bite attack.

During the whole battle, the Rhyhorn didn't notice Ali sneaking around it, although even if it actually stopped to look, it wouldn't see him. Although Kecleon are unable to hide their red, zigzag stripe while they're hiding, Ali's bag was made of a special, experimental material that changed colors whenever he did. Because it was around his red stripe, it hid the stripe from view, practically making him a shadow in a pitch black room.

After Helina leapt out of the way of a Fury Attack, Ali made his move. He unleashed a Screech attack at Rhyhorn from behind, startling it. It looked behind it to see Ali standing there in a battle stance. It growled and began to turn around to make him pay for that, only to get hit by a Tackle attack from Helina. This put Rhyhorn in quite a perilous situation: it was too big to be able to turn around quickly and it was trapped between two powerful fighters. It might be able to focus on one, but then the one behind it would be able to get in all the free hits they wanted.

While Rhyhorn was confused about what to do, Helina and Ali kept dishing out the attacks. Eventually, it decided to go for a more dangerous attack that would be able to hit both of them: Earthquake. The members of Team HBM seemed to realize this, as Ali used Sucker Punch to hit it on the head and Helina used Baton Pass to switch places with Mike. The Riolu was already readying two red Aura Spheres in his paws, so after Ali leapt off the Rhyhorn, he threw both of them at it. That seemed to do it, as when the smoke cleared, it had collapsed on the ground.

Mike grinned, "Great teamwork, you two. Even without my help, you had that Rhyhorn beat from the start."

Helina smiled back, "Hey, that's why I'm the anti-tank specialist."

Ali said, "Man, I love this new material. I can't wait to see what the final version of it is going to be like."

Mike replied, "Well hopefully, we'll get to find out soon. Should we keep moving?" Both Helina and Ali nodded, so the three began making their way through the passageway again.

A while later, after running into a few more Pokémon that were either working for Onix or scared inhabitants of Mt. Travail, Mike, Helina, and Ali reached the cave exit. As Mike had said, it emptied out onto the path that Piplup, Chimchar, Carl, and Alwin were following. Not long after they stepped outside, they saw the four of them coming up the path. Carl called, "Mike, Helina, Ali! Are you guys okay?"

Ali replied once they were closer, "Yeah, we're fine. And better yet, we know where Onix is."

Piplup asked, "Where is he?"

Helina answered, "He's further up the mountain, hiding out in a cave where he's being protected by Rock-type bodyguards."

Mike grinned, "Sounds like a party, doesn't it?"

Chimchar said, "Uh yeah, I guess it does."

Alwin spoke, "I don't know how much good I'm going to be if there are Rock-types in there."

Mike said, "Don't worry, Alwin. You know more than just Flying and Normal-type moves. As long as you stay out of the way of any Rock-type attacks, you'll be fine. As will Chimchar and Carl."

The Starly nodded, "Okay, Mike. All right, let's go get him!" Everyone nodded and continued up the mountain, the path they were on much wider at this point.

The two teams were almost at the top of Mt. Mistral when they came across a large hole in the side of the rock, leading down inside of the mountain. "Is this the cave?" Piplup asked.

Mike held out a paw towards the cave, closing his eyes as a light blue glow could be seen on his paw. His dreadlocks waved in the air for a minute before they stopped and he opened his eyes, looking back at everyone. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure this is it. I saw a lot of Aura signatures in there, but none of them looked like an Onix. He must be deeper inside."

Chimchar asked, "So we're going to have to get past that Monster House in order to arrest him?"

Mike nodded, "That's what it looks like we have to do. But we have a little ways to go before we reach that room, so let's see if we can get a closer look." He then led the way into the cave, everyone following close behind.

After walking down into the rocky tunnel for a while, Mike signaled for everyone to stop. Not too far ahead of them, they could see some kind of lighting coming from a hole up ahead. They moved a little closer towards it, but they weren't able to see much without actually stepping through it into the room. Mike gestured for Ali to come over to him and, when he did, whispered, "See if you can find out what Pokémon are in there and give me a SITREP when you're done."

The Kecleon nodded, "You got it." With that, he turned invisible and walked into the room beyond the hole. The members of Team Poképals and Team HBM stood silently, waiting for Ali to return. Eventually, they heard the sound of footsteps coming closer, Ali appearing when he was at the mouth of the room's entrance. Without needing to be asked, he said, "There's a variety of Rock-types in there. I could see Cranidos, Rampardos, Aerodactyl, Lunatone, Armaldo, and maybe a few others."

Helina asked, "How big is that room?"

Ali answered, "It's got a pretty high ceiling, probably for Aerodactyl and the rock snake himself. It's also seemed pretty spacious, so all of us should have a lot of room to maneuver."

Mike nodded, "All right, but since we're going to have to fight our way through, we're going to have to do it in a way where we don't get in each other's way."

Carl asked, "So what? We divide and conquer?"

Mike nodded, "Exactly. I've got a Luminous Orb in my pack. Can you get it for me, Carl?" The Chimchar nodded and opened the Riolu's backpack, rummaging through it for a few moments before pulling out a blue sphere. Taking it, Mike said, "All right, listen up. I'm going to throw this through the hole and get it as close to the center of the room as possible. It has a delayed release so it won't go off immediately after hitting the ground. Once it does, though, we need to get in there and try to distance ourselves from each other as much as we can. When they recover from the blinding flash, they're going to come after us, but it's unlikely they'll come in full force since we'll be split up. Focus on whatever Pokémon comes after you, but be careful not to hit one your of teammates by accident. Understood?" Everyone nodded at that.

Mike turned around to face the hole and, after taking a moment to gauge how much force to use, threw the orb through it. It clattered along the ground noisily for a moment before coming to a stop near the center of the room. It ended up near the foot of a Rhydon, who asked, "What the…?" Almost immediately afterwards, it went off, bathing the room in a bright white light.

When their vision cleared, the Pokémon opened their eyes and looked around to see Team Poképals and Team HBM scattered around the room. Mike, Helina, and Ali were on the right side, Piplup, Chimchar, and Carl were on the left side, and Alwin was flying up near the ceiling. An Aerodactyl shot upwards towards the ceiling while the rest of the Pokémon went after the rest of the intruders.

The Aerodactyl was on Alwin almost as soon as its head was level with the Starly. It snapped at him with a Crunch attack, which Alwin avoided by using Agility. Aerodactyl attempted to use Agility to chase after him, but Alwin turned around in mid-flight and whipped up a Whirlwind, knocking the Fossil Pokémon back towards the wall. It managed to avoid slamming into the wall by pressing its talons against it and leaping off the wall, flying towards Alwin with an Iron Head attack.

Alwin dodged the charging bird by using Detect, easily flying out of its way and turning to watch it slam headfirst into the wall. After it recovered, it turned to face him and unleashed a Supersonic attack, releasing multiple rings from its mouth at the smaller bird. Alwin flew around the rings and attacked the Aerodactyl several times with Steel Wing, his glowing wings causing more damage than his size would've suggested he'd be able to deal. Afterwards, while it was recovering, Alwin finished up by blasting it with Ominous Wind, sending it back into the wall. This time, though, it didn't climb back into the air, instead falling to the ground defeated. Alwin took a moment to look around and, upon seeing no other Flying-types present, began flying around the room, looking for opportunities to provide aid.

As one might expect, Piplup's type advantage meant he was holding his own just fine. Before he, Chimchar, and Carl met up with Mike's group earlier, Carl had insisted that they take a little time to see if the penguin could perform Hydro Pump yet. It took a number of tries, but Piplup eventually managed to perform the move once. Now he was making use of all of his Water-type moves, particularly BubbleBeam, Brine, and his newly learned Hydro Pump.

Chimchar and Carl, meanwhile, found themselves up against a wall, surrounded by a Rampardos, an Aggron, and a Nosepass. Chimchar looked worried, but Carl flashed him a grin and told him not to worry. The Chimchar then used a combination of Flame Wheel and Dig, disappearing underneath the ground. Several tense moments later, he burst out of the ground underneath Chimchar, the Flame Wheel having formed the flame snake from earlier. Because he was a Fire-type, Chimchar was able to ride on the back of the snake without any trouble.

Despite its obvious shock at seeing the large snake made out of flames, Rampardos charged towards Carl while a whitish-blue aura surrounded its body, a Head Smash attack. Chimchar held on tightly as Carl made the snake leap up and then dive down towards the ground, once again using Dig. The Rampardos slammed into the wall and, after it shook off its disorientation, began looking around nervously.

Carl soon resurfaced between the Rampardos and the other Rock-types and he fired a Flamethrower at the Rampardos. This surprised not only all of the Rock-types, but also Chimchar. Carl was already using Flame Wheel to maintain his snake form; he would've never guessed that he'd be able to use another move at the same time. The attack scorched Rampardos and slammed it up against the wall again.

Although Chimchar would've been fine with hanging on and watching Carl's unique move in action now that he was closer to it, he heard the sound of a rock breaking off and turned around to look. Nosepass had leapt up while outlined in blue, a rock floating above it that was also outlined in blue. Soon afterwards, the rock split apart into four pieces, all of them headed for Chimchar and Carl. Leaping off of the back of the flame snake, Chimchar curled up into a Flame Wheel of his own. He then hit the closest falling rock on the side, bouncing off of it and knocking it off course. He repeated the process for the other three rocks in the Rock Slide, bouncing off the last one and hitting Nosepass, causing the Compass Pokémon to fall on Aggron's head just as it was readying a Water Pulse.

Carl, meanwhile, was still facing off against the Rampardos. He made his flame snake point straight upwards and made it spin around. As it did this, a tornado began to form around the snake that was eventually sent towards the Rampardos, a Vacuum Wave attack. The tornado brushed up against the rocky wall for a minute before dying down, the Rampardos lying face down at the base of it.

Turning around, Carl noticed that Chimchar was battling both the Nosepass and the Aggron at the same time. He was quick, but sooner or later one of them was bound to land a lucky shot. So the next time Chimchar leapt away from an attack, Carl slithered in the direction of the skirmish while firing a Fire Spin. The attack wrapped up Nosepass and Aggron, Chimchar and Carl finishing them off by using Flamethrower at the same time. Afterwards, Carl made his flame snake vanish, the tail disappearing first and continuing on until just Carl was left. He then came out of his Flame Wheel and, after he and Chimchar exchanged a few words, they jumped back into the fray, as there were still plenty of Rock-types left.

Elsewhere, Mike was faced with a Lunatone and Solrock. They were both glaring at him, sure that they would have no problem defeating him, but the Riolu had a plan in mind. The Lunatone attacked first, using Psywave to fire light blue rings from its body at Mike. The Riolu leapt and dashed around the immediate area, each ring hitting a different spot since Lunatone was trying to catch him unaware. It wasn't enough, though; since Mike could use Aura better than the average Riolu, he knew where the rings would hit. Almost immediately after dodging the last ring, Solrock flew towards him, the rocky spine on top of its head glowing blue as it became surrounded by a light blue reflective shield. Mike reached out and gripped the spine between his paws, which were glowing with his Aura. He pushed back against it for several moments before a small explosion resulted, hiding Mike from view.

Seconds later, Mike dashed out of the cloud to the left, seeming to have suffered only a moderate amount of damage at best. He slid to a stop when Lunatone tried to hit him with a Signal Beam and leapt towards it, hitting it on the nose with a Force Palm. Solrock came to Lunatone's aid, using Psychic to lift Mike into the air. He was far from helpless, though, as he managed to turn around and catch the Meteorite Pokémon off-guard with an Aura Sphere. Its Psychic grip eased off and he began to fall to the ground, only to be lifted back up into the air again! Now Lunatone was using Psychic, and before Mike could turn around and hit it with an Aura Sphere, Solrock recovered and used Psychic to restrict his movement completely. Mike struggled to break free, but to no avail; they had him where they wanted him. They attacked together, Solrock using Solarbeam while Lunatone used Signal Beam. The two attacks hit the Riolu…

And then the two Meteorite Pokémon were baffled to see Mike vanish in a puff of smoke! They looked around frantically; what happened to him? They soon got their answer as Mike suddenly appeared behind Solrock and kicked it from the side, sending it flying into the wall. When he kicked it, he pushed off of it, propelling himself towards Lunatone. Before it could react, he hit it in the face with a Drain Punch, restoring some of the energy he used to create his earlier Substitute.

Landing back on the ground, Mike turned to look at Solrock and saw Ali was moving to take care of it for him. He called to Mike, "Lunatone's all yours! I'll finish this one off for you!" He then leapt up and vanished, using Shadow Sneak to get the drop on Solrock. Mike nodded and turned to look up at Lunatone. The Meteorite Pokémon glared down at him angrily and tried to rush him with a Tackle attack, but Mike leapt to the side and rolled across the ground after landing. When Lunatone turned around to attack him again, Mike held his left paw out towards it and a rope made of Aura extended from his palm, latching onto Lunatone. Once it was securely attached, he flicked his wrist forward, sending an Aura Sphere along the rope towards Lunatone. He then twisted his paw up, the Aura Sphere going up towards the ceiling, and then down, sending it straight down at high speed, causing a large explosion when it hit Lunatone.

After confirming Lunatone's defeat, Mike turned to see Ali coming over, the Kecleon having already dealt with Solrock. "Nice going, Mike! I've gotta say, I'm still amazed by your Aura Tether move and Substitute-Double Team combo!" the Kecleon said.

Mike grinned back at him, then suddenly noticed something coming towards him and leapt to Ali's side. A Corsola went shooting past the spot where he'd originally been standing. It didn't stop and turn around, though, so Mike and Ali looked to see where it was going. It was heading for Helina, who was currently attacking a Shuckle but still had a Magcargo and Sudowoodo to deal with. "Helina! Incoming!" Mike shouted over the sounds of battle.

The Eevee heard his call and turned to see the Corsola coming towards her in a Tackle attack. She leapt out of the way, but the Corsola managed to come to a stop before hitting the Sudowoodo. Helina looked around; now it was four on one. She looked at her four opponents before saying, "Okay, you asked for this. I'm going to show you what happens when you get on my bad side!" She bent her forelegs back, moving her body closer to the ground while her tail stuck straight up in the air.

An imperceptible spark of electricity ran along the white tip of her tail, her fur slightly stiffening as she called upon the power within her. Thinking she was bluffing, Corsola and Shuckle moved to attack, Corsola's body glowing white and pointing its horns at Helina before firing multiple white spikes from those horns while Shuckle extended two of its limbs to catch her in a Wrap attack. Before either could reach her, she began waving her tail from side to side, each wave releasing a rocket-like electrical blast. The first shots cut through the Spike Cannon and made Shuckle's limbs retract, but she kept waving and firing more blasts at them. They soon fell, no match for her Megawatt Hammer.

Helina turned to the Magcargo and said, "You're next!" She charged up a little extra electricity into her tail before throwing the electrical blast at it.

The Magcargo surprised her by quickly moving out of the path of the fast moving projectile, which flew past it harmlessly. It then smirked, "You missed."

Helina, however, regained her composure and grinned, "You think?" She held her tail up and jerked it in Magcargo's direction, sending a bolt of lightning out of it that hit Magcargo dead-on. It didn't do much damage, but that wasn't her plan; when the bolt hit, the rocket she fired made a sharp U-turn and flew back around, hitting Magcargo from behind. With that and a Shadow Ball she fired just now, Magcargo went down.

Sudowoodo nervously glanced back and forth between Helina and his defeated companions for a minute before turning around and running away screaming. The Eevee got a glint in her eyes at that and she smirked, "You're not getting away that easy!" She stood up and ran after him, eventually jumping up with her tail pointing straight up. A ball of electricity formed atop it and she flicked it in the Sudowoodo's direction. It hit the ground not far in front of the Sudowoodo, at which point it split into a cluster of seven smaller balls. There was nothing the Sudowoodo could do; it was caught in the middle of all seven, and they soon blew up, sending him flying. When he landed, he passed out.

A short while later, although both teams were still standing strong, they were beginning to get tired and there were still guards to deal with. Aside from the ones that were already in the room, more came through the tunnel leading out of the cave, the commotion within probably attracting them. After defeating a Golem, Mike growled, "Onix must've planned this. Send in all the Pokémon he can so that we're too tired to face him when we reach him." He looked around, soon spotting Piplup and Chimchar battling close to each other near the passage that probably led to Onix. After a moment, he called, "Piplup! Chimchar!"

They both heard him, Piplup calling back, "Mike?"

The Riolu yelled, "Go on ahead! You're already near the passage, go after Onix!"

Chimchar cried, "What? But we can't leave you guys in the middle of a battle!"

After dodging a Stone Edge aimed for his head, Mike yelled, "Onix is trying to weaken us before we face him! You two are still somewhat strong at this point; if you go now, you can probably take him out yourselves!"

Piplup yelled, "But what about you guys?"

Mike dashed away from an Ancientpower attack and up to the two. He then grinned, "Don't worry about us. We'll catch up to you when we deal with the rest of these Rock-types or when we get bored, whichever happens first." He then gave them both a sharp push in the direction of the passage, saying, "Now go!"

Mike leapt away a second later, his shove both pushing Piplup and Chimchar into the passage and saving them. Right after he pushed them, a Graveler tried to get the drop on him with Rock Throw, multiple rocks raining down on the spot where the three had been standing. The attack created a pile of rocks in front of the passage that the two would have to climb over if they wanted to go against Mike's orders. "I guess we have no choice. Come on, Piplup, let's go after Onix!" Chimchar said.

" But…" Piplup started, looking back at the pile of rocks in the way. The thought of leaving anyone behind like this, even if they were confident that they would be fine, made him feel uneasy for some reason.

Chimchar grabbed him by the shoulder and dragged him along behind him, saying, "Come on! Mike's counting on us to find and defeat Onix!" With no way to resist now, Piplup was forced to submit and allowed himself to be dragged, seeing as he was in no position to be running.

They eventually reached another large room, although this one was smaller than the previous one and it didn't lead any deeper into the mountain. More importantly, though, there was a large rock snake curled up at the far end of the room. Onix! He lazily raised his head at the sight of Team Poképals and growled, "Who dares to disturb me within my mountain?"

Piplup yelled, "Mt. Travail doesn't belong to anyone, especially not to a criminal like you!"

Onix shouted, "Silence! Dragonbreath!" He fired a green beam of air from his mouth at Team Poképals, forcing them to jump out of the way. After landing, Chimchar curled up in a Flame Wheel, rolling towards Onix and bouncing up towards his face. Onix calmly retaliated by bringing his tail forward and knocking swinging it forward in a Slam attack, breaking through Chimchar's Flame Wheel and sending him flying.

Piplup managed to catch Chimchar before he hit the ground, softening his fall somewhat, but they didn't get a chance to relax since Onix came charging at them, hitting them both with a Tackle attack. They landed in a heap, Chimchar sprawled over Piplup's chest while he was on his back. Onix growled and slammed his tail against the ground, sending rocks flying at the two with Rock Throw. Piplup and Chimchar saw them coming, though, and did what they could to get away. Chimchar used Dig, disappearing beneath the ground, while Piplup used BubbleBeam to fire a stream of bubbles at the rocks, managing to break them into smaller pieces and avoid the bigger chunks.

Onix glared at Piplup and raised his tail, preparing to use another Slam attack. Before he could, though, Chimchar resurfaced underneath part of his snake body that was still on the ground, managing to knock him onto his side. Onix pushed himself up and went to catch Chimchar in a Sand Tomb, but Piplup stopped him with another BubbleBeam attack, pushing him up against the wall. He tried to shake off his disorientation, but Piplup and Chimchar attacked together before he could attack them, using Hydro Pump and Flamethrower together. Onix couldn't take it anymore and collapsed after they were finished, his plan to have other Pokémon wear down his opponents so that they'd be easy to be defeat a failure.

As Piplup and Chimchar caught their breaths, Piplup felt a sudden pressure on his shoulder and they both heard Mike say, "Hey, looks like the party's over! I knew you two could do it!" They looked back to see Mike and the rest of Team HBM standing there, along with Officer Magnezone and Pelipper.

Officer Magnezone floated forward and examined Onix a moment before saying, "I see that Onix has been soundly defeated! Excellent work, Team Poképals! ZZT! Once his subordinates have been warped away, we'll send him right behind them!"

Chimchar turned to Pelipper and asked, "When did you get here with Officer Magnezone?"

Pelipper replied, "Just a few minutes ago. We reached the cave just as Team HBM was wrapping up with the rest of the Pokémon in the first room." Officer Magnezone's two Magnemite deputies came in soon afterward, one of them clutching an orb between one of its magnets. It floated over and tapped Onix with the orb, a yellow light enveloping the Rock Snake Pokémon and warping him away.

Piplup noticed the orb didn't vanish after Onix warped away, so he turned to Officer Magnezone and asked, "What kind of orb is that?"

Magnezone turned to him and said, "I would be happy to tell you. ZZT! It is a special version of the Warp Orb that is able to teleport any Pokémon it touches to an empty prison cell. It's automatically tuned to a certain location and is able to scan the Pokémon it touches. It then selects a cell that is likely to hold the outlaw until we can get back to the jail. ZZT! It only works for those recognized as law enforcers!"

One of the Magnemite turned to face everyone and said, "Onix should be contained for now. We should go now to make sure that he stays that way. Are you all going to be all right getting home?" Mike reassured them that they would be fine, so Officer Magnezone and the Magnemite left, Officer Magnezone telling Piplup and Chimchar to come find him when they got back to Treasure Town.

Pelipper and the two teams followed in the officers' path, making their way outside. When they made it outside, they found that not only was the sun shining brightly, but they could see a rainbow in the distance. "Wow! Look at that rainbow!" Chimchar exclaimed.

"But… it didn't rain. Where did it come from?" Pelipper wondered.

Helina's ears twitched for a moment before she looked to the south. She then said, "Look!" Everyone looked in the direction she was; far away, they could see a large bird with rainbow wings flying to the east.

After it disappeared behind the clouds, Pelipper asked, "Did I ever thank you all for taking care of Onix?"

Alwin said, "I don't think so."

Pelipper smiled, "Well, I'll do it now then! Thank you, everyone! Now the Flying-types can come back to Mt. Travail and the ones that are still here and can come out of hiding. I only wish I had something to repay you for your hard work."

Mike replied, "That's all right, ma'am. We didn't agree to do this just to be rewarded. Right, guys?" The rest of Team HBM nodded, as did Team Poképals.

Pelipper said, "But surely there's something I can do to thank you." She thought for a moment before an idea seemed to come to her and she asked, "Anyone thirsty?" Everyone looked back at her in confusion.

**Later, at Spinda's Café**

Ali sighed as he set his glass down on the table the two teams and Pelipper were sitting at, licking his long tongue around his lips to get the last bits of flavor before saying, "Ah… That hit the spot." Everyone else agreed with him; a nice cold drink was just the thing after a job like that.

After taking a drink from his red juice, Chimchar turned to Carl, who was sitting right next to him and asked, "Carl?" When the Chimchar turned to look at him, he continued, "What was that move you used? The one where you turn into a big snake made of flames?"

Carl smiled, "Oh that? It's kind of a new move; we've been calling it the Fire Snake."

Piplup asked, "Fire Snake? How do you do that?"

Carl explained, "It's a combination of Dig and Flame Wheel. By performing Flame Wheel before I go underground, I'm able to create a trail of flames behind me before I resurface. But since they're a part of my Flame Wheel, I'm able to control them and make them act like a living thing. It's kind of hard to explain, but as you've seen, it's a unique new move that's very powerful."

Piplup said, "That's incredible. And you came up with it yourself?"

Carl shrugged, "Well, Mike was the one who came up with the idea, so we kind of worked on getting the hang of it together. He's also the one who found out that it's possible to use other attacks while performing the Fire Snake."

Chimchar exclaimed, "That's incredible! Can you teach me how to do it?"

Carl chuckled as he patted Chimchar on the head, "Not just yet, pal. Give it a little time and get better with your own moves and abilities first, and then maybe I'll teach you."

Chimchar giggled, "Okay, Carl."

Officer Magnezone suddenly entered the Café and spotted Piplup and Chimchar sitting with Team HBM and Pelipper at the table closest to the Juice Bar. He floated over to the table and said, "Team Poképals! I heard you were back! There's something I need to tell you! ZZT!"

Chimchar asked, "What is it? Is Onix still locked up?"

Magnezone replied, "Affirmative! ZZT! But that's not what I'm here to see you about. The Exploration Federation has sent a message. May I see your badges for a moment?" Piplup and Chimchar pulled out their badges and handed them to Officer Magnezone. He then turned around to hide what he was doing, though they could see his front magnets spin around several times. He then turned around and handed the badges back. The green center had changed to a gray color; before they could ask, Officer Magnezone said, "Congratulations! You've received a promotion; you are now a Silver Rank Exploration Team! ZZT!"

Piplup and Chimchar cheered at that, Pelipper and Team HBM congratulating them on their promotion. Alwin said, "I think this calls for another round of juice!"

Pelipper said, "For sure! I'll go get them. Same as last time?" Everyone nodded, Pelipper flying over to the Spinda's counter, Officer Magnezone following her to both help her and place an order himself.

While they were up by the counter, Helina turned to Piplup and said, "So Piplup, Carl told us a little about Chimchar, but he said you didn't say much about yourself. Now that we're off the clock, for the moment, maybe you could tell us a little about yourself?"

Piplup nervously asked, "Uh, where should I start?"

Mike suggested, "How about where you lived prior to joining the Wigglytuff Guild? From the sound of things, you're not originally from Treasure Town."

Piplup rubbed the back of his head as he said, "Well no, I'm not, but… I don't know where I'm from."

Ali raised an eye at that, "You don't know? How do you not know where you're from?"

Chimchar explained, "I found Piplup passed out on the beach here. I was afraid he was dead when I saw him, the way his face was buried in the sand and the fact that he was hardly moving. He was all right, of course, but he told me the same thing. He also said…" He leaned over the table and said in a lower voice, "…that he was a human."

The eyes on each of the members of Team HBM widened at that. Carl turned to look at Piplup and asked, "Is that true? You're really a human?"

Piplup nodded, his eyes half-closed as he said, "Yeah. You don't believe me either, do you?"

Each of the HBMs began to act nervous at that, Alwin saying, "W-well, it's certainly unusual to hear something like that."

Helina nodded, "Yeah. Humans don't just go to sleep and wake up to find that they've turned into Pokémon. I-I don't think they do, anyway."

Ali said, "Nah, they couldn't do it on their own. If they did, it would surely be common knowledge. Someone or something would have to be responsible for such a transformation." Piplup eyed Team HBM suspiciously at that; why did it sound like they knew something he didn't and they didn't want to say it?

Mike managed to regain his composure as Magnezone and Pelipper came back with the drinks and spoke, "Uh, anyway… You really don't remember anything? Not even a name?"

Piplup sighed, "No. Part of the reason I agreed to be a part of this team was to see if I could find any clues that could help me find out who I am. But so far, nothing's come to me. I wouldn't even know where to start looking."

Mike said, "A severe case of amnesia… Well, you're certainly taking it better and being more of a go-getter about finding out for yourself than some might be in a situation like yours. If you'd like, we can see if we can find anything out while we're working too."

Piplup said, "Well, if you don't mind. I don't want to trouble you."

Carl said, "Oh no, it'd be no trouble! After all, we're all over the place; if there are clues out there, there's a good chance we'll be able to find them!"

Piplup shrugged, "Okay, if you're sure." He then blushed as his stomach let out a growl and sighed, "I guess we really haven't eaten since breakfast this morning. And dinner's not going to be ready for another few hours."

Alwin took off his bag and reached inside of it; after a moment, he brought his head back up to the table with something in his right wing. "Here, maybe this'll tide you over for a few hours." He then slid it across the table, the object coming to rest between Piplup and Chimchar. They looked down at it; it appeared to be a small square-shaped box. Before they could ask, Alwin explained, "Field ration. Just pop the lid off to get to the food."

Chimchar asked, "There's food inside of this?"

Mike nodded, "Yep. By keeping it in there, it can be preserved for a long time and it takes hardly any time to prepare. Alwin's rations have food in them that remind him of home."

Chimchar said, "Whoa… That's pretty cool."

Ali shrugged, "It is when you're on the go. Just don't expect the food inside to taste like your mother's home cooking."

Piplup asked, "You sure you're okay with giving us this?"

Alwin waved a wing as he said, "It's no problem. I've got plenty. You can hang onto it or eat it now if you want. Either way, split it between you two."

A little later, the two teams stood on the crossroads, Piplup and Chimchar standing in front of the stairs leading up to the guild while Team HBM stood in front of them. "Thanks for helping us with everything, guys. I hope we get to see you again soon," Chimchar was saying.

Mike smiled, "Hey, you two are all right. It was fun hanging out with you; maybe we'll get a chance to work together on another mission."

Helina said, "Keep up the good work, you two."

Carl added, "I hope you guys get chosen for the expedition."

Piplup said, "We'll do our best to make a good last impression."

Ali smiled, "You'll do fine! Just keep working hard for however much time you have."

Alwin added, "Just be ready in case Team Skull tries to pull any other tricks on you." Piplup and Chimchar nodded, then they waved goodbye as Team HBM left, heading to the left out into the wilderness.

Chimchar looked at Piplup and asked, "They're a great team, aren't they?"

Piplup nodded, "Yeah. And I have a feeling we can trust them." Suddenly, both his and Chimchar's stomachs growled, so he asked, "You wanna go try that ration now?" Chimchar nodded, so they headed up the stairs to the guild, heading to their room to drop off the Treasure Bag and have a quiet place to try the box's edible contents at.

**Later that night…**

The members of Team HBM were all camped around a fire, talking to each other as they ate berries and apples. "I know you said that his Aura kind of looked like a human, Mike, but it was still surprising to hear him say it. He couldn't have had the same thing that happened to us happen to him, could he?" Ali was saying.

Mike replied, "I doubt it. What we went through was quite a trip, but we didn't lose our memories. We'll help him however we can, but he's going to have to decide what he wants to do. Whatever works for us might not work for him."

Helina said, "Well, if he does want to go back to being a human, it's not going to be easy. I mean, just look at us. This is what we look like after going through an industrial portal for Arceus' sake! You can't exactly find one of those just anywhere!"

Ali countered, "True, but I'm sure Iraq isn't the only place where they can be found. There might be more out there that we don't know about. It's not entirely out of the question, Helina."

Alwin said, "Let's just focus on trying to find out who he is. That's going to be hard enough to figure out."

Mike nodded, but then he noticed that Carl was strangely quiet. He nudged the Chimchar and asked, "Hey Carl?" When the Chimchar looked at him, he asked, "You okay?"

Carl answered, "Yeah, I'm fine, Mike. I was just thinking about Chimchar."

Helina asked, "You're worried about him, both because you're the same species of Pokémon and friends, right?"

Carl nodded, then said, "I just wonder if he's going to be okay. He's really excited about becoming an explorer; if he and Piplup don't get chosen for the expedition, he's gonna be crushed. And if they do make it, is he going to be able to be brave enough to handle anything they come across? I saw him get nervous enough back at Mt. Travail; what if they've got to go through multiple dungeons to reach their destination?" He looked back at the campfire afterwards. Mike also looked at the fire, thinking…

**Meanwhile…**

In a mountainous region, a lone figure walked quietly through the rocky area around it. The figure was Grovyle, the Time Gear thief. As he leaned up against a wall, he said, "It's time to get back to work. I wanted to wait until some of the uproar that started after I stole the first two Time Gears calmed down, but did I wait too long?" He then shook his head, "I can't worry about that now. I must get the other three before it's too late." He then looked to the night sky, up at the moon as he whispered, "I only hope he's okay, and that I will get the chance to see him one more time…"

* * *

Okay, let's see what we've got here.

First of all, the unidentified Pokémon that confronted Piplup, Chimchar, and Pelipper on their way to Mt. Travail was an Excadrill.

And at long last, we meet Team HBM. They are not my OCs, they belong to RandomPerson422 at Deviantart. He wanted me to include them in my story as a part of his story and to mix things up in mine. Mike Victor, Helina Stanina, Ali Uday, Carl Frank, and Alwin Arno all belong to him. If you have any questions about them, you can ask me and I'll ask him for you. And don't worry, Team HBM will be appearing again soon.

Just like with the chapter that featured Glalie, this chapter was meant to be an extension of one of the flashback scenes in the second PMD2 special.

And finally, Grovyle appears in Team Poképals' story after a long absence. This is because he already had two Time Gears at the end of the first PMD2 special. He'll be appearing more regularly now.

Music:

Heading for Mt. Travail - Ocean Theme (The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker)

Ambush and Rescue - Metal Mario Battle (Super Smash Brothers)

Team HBM - Menu (Super Smash Bros. Melee) (Super Smash Brothers Brawl)

Climbing Mt. Travail - Death Mountain (The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess)

The Two Teams - The Dark World (Super Smash Brothers Brawl)

Just About There - I-70 Mountain Bridge (Syphon Filter 2)

Massive Free-For-All - Multi-Man Melee 1 (Super Smash Brothers Melee)

Onix Battle - Duel (Metal Gear Solid)

Mission Complete! - Trainer Victory (Pokémon RBY)

Time to Kick Back and Relax - Spinda's Café (PMD: EoS)

That Night... - To Zanarkand (Final Fantasy X)


	9. Interrogation, Setting Out

It was unusual for a Pokémon like Grovyle to be at a complete loss for words, but his mouth opened several times and each time, no sound came out of it. The fact that there was a real human in front of him had rendered him completely mute for the moment; there was no other explanation for his inability to speak. "_This… this must be a joke. Dusknoir's trying to pull a fast one on me with a Ditto. Humans don't actually exist; they're just an old legend. I've traveled almost the entire continent since I left Primal Dialga's side and I never once heard anything about humans being real. Surely that kind of news would get around quickly,_" he tried to rationalize to himself.

But no matter how much rationalizing the wood gecko tried to do, there was no escaping the truth: there was a real human boy down on his knees with his hands tied behind his back in front of Dusknoir, two Sableye standing behind him in case he tried anything. His face was angled down towards the ground, his blue eyes having a dull shine to them that Grovyle didn't notice since he was lost in thought. Perhaps it had something to do with the boy's past?

Dusknoir reached down and gently gripped the bottom of the boy's head in one hand, tilting it up so they faced each other. He then spoke, Grovyle snapping out of his thoughts at the sound of his voice, "Come now, there's no need to act so lifeless. I just want to have a friendly conversation with you, my boy."

The human spoke, "Really? Well, I don't mean to make it sound like you're lying sir, but your Sableye didn't exactly give me the impression you just wanted to talk. Attacking me like they did back in the forest and then tying me up just now."

Dusknoir replied, "Is that what this is all about? Being handled so roughly? Well, I can assure you that I did not tell them to do that." He released the boy's head and turned away before continuing, "As I'm sure you've seen, the Sableye can be a rather rambunctious lot. That's why Master Dialga put me in charge of them: because I'm a rather calm and collected individual, much less likely to do something rash. Unfortunately, I am unable to watch over all of them at once, so I apologize for what happened." A slight shiver ran through the boy's body when Dusknoir mentioned Primal Dialga, but nobody noticed it.

Dusknoir turned back around to face the boy and said, "Now, like I said, I would like to have a nice, civilized conversation with you."

The human asked, "About what?"

Dusknoir answered, "I just have a few questions I want to ask you. Just answer them as truthfully as you can. At the end, depending on how it goes, perhaps I'll have the Sableye escort you back to where they found you."

The human ventured to ask, "And what if it's not to your liking?"

Dusknoir floated closer to him and lowered his head so it was right in the boy's face. He then glared at him and jabbed a finger into his chest as he said, in a dark tone, "You don't want to know." He then backed off and looked at the two Sableye behind the boy, saying, "You two. Why don't you give our guest some room and go show Grovyle to his new, temporary quarters?"

Both Sableye replied, "Yes, Master Dusknoir!" They immediately went to Grovyle's sides, grabbing his hands and helping him up onto his feet. By now, the effects of the Stun Seed were beginning to wear off and he could move a little more freely, meaning he could easily escape from the two Sableye if he wanted to. He glanced at Dusknoir with his eyes, though, and noticed the look on the ghost's face, as if he was silently tempting him to do it. He decided not to risk it while the ghost was watching and instead scowled at him as he was led out of the room.

Dusknoir nodded, "Much better. Now then…" He floated behind the human and reached down, untying the rope from around his hands. After he was done, the boy brought his hands forward, rubbing his wrists. "Is that better?" Dusknoir inquired.

The boy replied, uncertainly, "Uh, I guess so…"

Dusknoir said, "Please, make yourself comfortable. You are a guest here, after all."

The human got off of his knees and sat down properly before saying, "Er, right. So… what did you want to ask me?"

Dusknoir nodded, "Very well. Let's begin. What were you doing at the time you were found?"

The human answered, "I was looking for food, as well as anything else useful that I could find around the forest."

Dusknoir said, "I see. And you were searching for these things for yourself?"

The boy replied, "Well sure, I did get hungry while I was searching the forest. In fact, I was snacking on an apple when the Sableye showed up."

Dusknoir floated a short distance away and nodded, "Ah-hah. And what were you planning to do afterwards?"

The human replied after a moment of thought, "Go… back to my shelter?"

Dusknoir looked over his shoulder at the boy as he asked, "And where is your shelter?"

The human tried to look everywhere but at Dusknoir as he said, "It's, um… It… *cough cough*"

Dusknoir turned around to face him, saying, "What was that? I didn't hear you."

The human stuttered, "I… I can't tell you!"

Dusknoir got up in his face again, asking, "Can't, or won't?"

The boy whimpered, "Please, Dusknoir sir. This conversation is getting out of hand. And I really can't think straight now, especially with the way you're leering at me…"

Dusknoir backed up, saying, "Oh my, I'm terribly sorry. I go and tell you that I'm a calm, reserved individual and then I start acting like a hypocrite. Please forgive me."

The human asked, "C-can I leave now?"

Dusknoir replied, "Oh no. You haven't answered all of my questions yet. But since you seem a bit shaken, I will give you a nice room of your own where you can gather your thoughts." He then helped the boy to his feet and began escorting him out the same double doors that Grovyle was led out through.

As they walked, the human began to get increasingly nervous. The hallway he was being led down had jail cells lining both sides, some of which contained Pokémon. The Pokémon behind these bars looked at him as he passed by, many of them shocked at the sight of him. Eventually, they passed by a cell that held a certain Pokémon that the human was surprised to see: Grovyle! "H-hey, why is he…?" he started to say.

Dusknoir cut him off, saying, "Please, no questions right now. We're almost to your room." They soon stopped two doors down from Grovyle's cell, next to a cell on the opposite side of the hall. Dusknoir opened one of the doors with his left hand before giving the human a rough shove with his right hand, saying, "Get in there!"

The human turned around to face Dusknoir, only to have the door slammed in his face. "Hey! What are you doing?" he demanded.

Dusknoir positioned his face right up against the bars of the cell and said, "I'm going to be honest with you. I never had any intention of letting you go. I know that you're one of the survivors, and I know you know where the rest of your kind is. I'm letting you go easy this time, but when I come back for you, you WILL answer my questions whether you want to or not. I suggest you enjoy your brief moment of privacy; it won't last long." The ghost then floated away from the cell, leaving the speechless human to collapse on the floor against the wall.

As he floated back down the hall, Dusknoir came to a stop next to Grovyle's cell. "So how do you enjoy actually being inside one of these cells, Grovyle?"

The wood gecko turned his back to the ghost and scoffed, "It's too small."

Dusknoir replied, "Hmph. That's the punishment you get for deserting us the way you did. Once you've worked that and any other problems out, we'll release you and let you get back to work."

Grovyle turned to face Dusknoir and asked, "Do you actually believe I want to rejoin you, Dusknoir?"

Dusknoir replied, "It's the only way you're getting out of here without any trouble, Grovyle. If you're still against what we're doing for Master Dialga, then I suggest you get comfortable."

Grovyle looked down for a moment before asking, "Where did you manage to find that human anyway? And what did you mean by 'survivors'? Are you actually suggesting that there are more humans out there?"

Dusknoir answered, "Of course I am, Grovyle. Why would I joke about something like this? Humans have existed in this world since long before our time; they've just been conveniently swept under the rug, so to speak. Master Dialga is the one who released them from where they've been hidden away. Since you left, he's made it a top priority to have them all taken care of."

Grovyle asked, "Why? Is he scared of them for some reason?"

Dusknoir turned away, saying, "That's all I'm going to tell you. I suggest you put some thought into rejoining us; then, after you've paid for your defiance, I will tell you anything you want to know." He then continued down the hall, leaving Grovyle to think about what he said.

Loudred performed his morning rounds as usual, going into each of the apprentices' rooms and yelling at them to wake up. When he was finished, he went out onto the guild's lower plaza, where Wigglytuff, Chatot, and Team Skull were waiting. Everyone else soon followed him, all of them a bit nervous yet excited at the thought of what they would soon be hearing. They all felt this way due to the announcement made before dinner last night…

_**Flashback**_

"_Ahem! Before we begin dinner tonight, I wish to make an announcement," Chatot began._

_The other guild members weren't exactly pleased that they had to wait to eat because of an announcement. "Hey, hey, heeeeeey!" exclaimed Corphish_

"_Well, spit it out already! Let's eat!" Loudred yelled._

"_You prevent us from eating what is in front of us? This is an outrage!" Dugtrio protested._

"_Eek! This is so unfair! I feel faint from hunger!" Sunflora exclaimed._

"_Boooo! Booo!" Diglett added._

"_Order! I must have order!" Chatot yelled. After everyone quieted down, he continued, "Now, I'm sure the selection of the expedition members has been on everyone's minds. Our Guildmaster has apparently made his final decisions." This sent murmurs of excitement through all of the guild members._

"_By golly, it's finally settled," Bidoof said._

_Chatot waved his wings to silence everyone before continuing, "The members will be announced at tomorrow's morning briefing in the lower plaza. It's something to look forward to. Now then, sorry to have kept you waiting." Everyone turned back to their plate of food, Chatot saying, "Without further ado… On your marks…"_

_Everyone yelled, "LET'S EAT!"_

_**End flashback**_

Piplup and Chimchar were especially nervous about hearing the selection for the expedition after what Team Skull did four days ago. Last night, Chimchar went to bed with mixed feelings about what to expect in the morning while Piplup fell asleep hoping at least Chimchar would be picked for the expedition. Now it was time for the moment of truth.

Chatot cleared his throat, "Ahem! Your attention, everyone. I will now announce the members for the expedition." He turned to Wigglytuff and said, "Guildmaster, the memo, please." Wigglytuff reached behind his back and handed Chatot a piece of paper. Chatot then turned around to face everyone and held up the memo, saying, "The chosen members are written on this memo. Step forward if your name is called."

The apprentices began to whisper amongst themselves, their anticipation building. "Ooh… It's finally happening," Sunflora whispered.

Bidoof nodded, "My heart's a-pounding, by golly."

Chatot spoke, "Without further ado, I will announce those who've been chosen." Everyone looked forward at that, Chatot reading, "Our first member… Loudred!"

The Big Voice Pokémon said, "Y-yes! I did it!" He then stepped forward as he was told, then faced everyone and grinned, "But if you really think about it, it's only NATURAL that I would get picked! WOO-HOOOO!"

Everyone sweated dropped at that, Sunflora muttering, "Says you…"

Bidoof sighed under his breath, "Big talker, yup yup."

Chimecho wondered quietly, "Does he really think we didn't pick up on how nervous he was until now?

Chatot continued, "Next up is… Corphish!"

The Ruffian Pokémon clicked his pincers as he said, "Hey, hey, hey! Got it! I got picked! Hey, hey!" He then went forward, sighing under his breath, "Whew, that's a relief…"

Chatot looked back down at the memo and said, "Oh? Well this is a surprise! Our next member is Bidoof!"

Bidoof gasped, "Really? Really and truly? Golly… Me? I'm going on the expedition?

Chatot looked at him when he didn't move from where he was standing and asked, "Hm? Is anything the matter, Bidoof? Come on, step forward."

Bidoof replied, "Urf… I sure want to step up, I truly do, but… I'm feeling a might overwhelmed here. My legs aren't moving…"

Chatot looked at him oddly before saying, "So be it. We'll ignore it and move on." He consulted the memo again before saying, "Next we have Sunflora and Chimecho!"

Chimecho asked, "Oh? Us too?"

Sunflora exclaimed, "Oh my gosh! Yippee!" The two girls joined Corphish and Loudred beside Wigglytuff.

Chatot looked back down at the memo for a moment before saying, "Erm, yes… Well, it would appear that that's all the… Oh? Erm, just a moment, please." Everyone turned to look at Chatot while he seemed to look very closely at something on the memo. "_There's more writing in the margins of this memo… But it's all messy and jumbled together… Erk! I'd better not say that out loud or the consequences would be severe. Best to keep a stiff upper beak and swallow those words,_" the bird thought to himself.

He looked up to see everyone looking at him before looking back down at the memo and saying, "Erm… It appears that there are more expedition members. The others are… Diglett, Dugtrio, and Croagunk. Oh, and Chimchar and Piplup too." Everyone except Wigglytuff looked surprised at this revelation, but it took Chatot a moment to catch on. "That is all. Wait a second! What?" He turned to Wigglytuff and said, "Guildmaster! This list seems to include every member of the guild!"

Wigglytuff nodded, "Yup! That's right!"

Chatot stuttered as he flapped his wings, "But then…! Then the whole selection process was meaningless! Moreover, if we were to all go, we would be leaving the guild empty! Are you sure it will be all right to leave with no one to look after the guild?"

Wigglytuff smiled, "It'll be fine. We'll lock up properly."

Skuntank stepped forward and spoke, "Guildmaster, I also have some misgivings." When everyone turned to face him, he asked, "Do you think perhaps we may have too many members for an expedition?"

Wigglytuff frowned, "Hmm… When a friend asks something like that, I have to wonder why…"

Skuntank explained, "I mean, why does everyone have to go? What's the point in having everyone participate?"

Wigglytuff regained his smile, "Huh? Of course there's a point! That is… If everyone went, it would be more fun!"

Skuntank's eyes widened, "What?"

Wigglytuff explained, "We'll be noisy and excited and having fun! I started thinking about it, and it made me so excited, I couldn't sleep!"

Skuntank gawked, "What…?"

Wigglytuff faced all the guild members and said, "So that's how it is, everyone! We're all going on the expedition, and it will be fun, fun, fun! Let's all do our best!" Everyone cheered in response to that.

After a moment, Chatot murmured, "Well, I guess that settles that." He then addressed everyone, "Listen up! I'm going to explain the schedule. Right after this, I will hold a briefing on the expedition. As such, the chosen members, or rather everyone, should get prepared to embark on the expedition. The briefing will begin in ten minutes, so use that time to purchase or retrieve any supplies you may need during the expedition. When you are prepared for the upcoming journey, you should return here and inform me of your readiness. That is all. Dismissed!"

Skuntank growled under his breath and turned away, leading his team up the ladder to the upper plaza. As he went up, he shot a glare in Piplup and Chimchar's direction, but neither of them seemed to notice it since they were joining the rest of the apprentices in a group huddle. "I could scream, I'm so happy! Everyone is going on the expedition!" Sunflora exclaimed.

"Our Guildmaster has done it again. I'm so shocked, I'm tingling!" Chimecho said.

"I was starting to think Wigglytuff hadn't selected us, so that came as a huge shock! I'm glad we never gave up!" Chimchar admitted.

"Hey, hey!" Corphish said while shaking his pincers.

"Sniff… By golly, I'm mighty happy that they're even letting me go on this here expedition… Oh, but not just me! Why, everyone gets to go… Sniff… It's like I'm dreaming. It's making me feel mighty emotional…" Bidoof sputtered.

Dugtrio moved to his side and reassured him, "It's no dream. This is really happening." He then addressed everyone, "Anyway, since we are all going, it means that we're all going to be put to the test as well. That's why I would like to propose that all of us apprentices work as one to make this expedition a success!"

Piplup said, "You're right, Dugtrio! So let's band together and do it!"

Sunflora cheered, "Yippee! Now you're talking!"

Loudred added, "Yeah! THAT'S the spirit!"

Chimecho said, "Let's do our best!" Bidoof sniffled a little after she said that, but then he and the rest of the apprentices let out a cheer in anticipation of the journey they would soon be taking.

Ten minutes later, everyone met in the lower plaza of the guild, all of them having picked up what they thought they needed. Sunflora even picked up the Power Band she bought on Team Poképals' first day at the guild. Chatot flew up to count heads before setting back down on the ground and saying, "All accounted for, it appears. Well then. Let me explain about this expedition. First, the objective: exploration of Fogbound Lake."

Piplup raised a wing and, when Chatot noticed him, asked, "Fogbound Lake?"

Chatot nodded, "Correct. It is a lake that is said to be located far to the east. However, it is enshrouded by a dense fog. As such, its actual existence has never been confirmed… It is merely the foggy mirage of a spot that lives to this day on rumor alone. It is also rumored… A treasure of exquisite beauty is hidden there!"

Chimchar gasped, "Wow! Treasure? We're going to find treasure! This already sounds like it's going to be fun!"

Wigglytuff piped up, "Yes! It most certainly will be fun!"

Skuntank rolled his eyes and chuckled under his breath at that. Chatot turned to face the rest of the apprentices and said, "Everyone, gather around here, please." Once everyone had formed a circle around him, Chatot opened a Wonder Map and began speaking, "First off… This is where Fogbound Lake is supposed to be." He pointed a wing down at a location near the southeastern tip of the continent. He then pointed to where Treasure Town was located and said, "Our guild is here. As you can see, the lake is at a considerable distance from the guild."

Corphish asked, "So what's the plan then, Chatot?"

Chatot pointed to a spot near a forest and said, "We will encamp at the foot of the highlands here. That will serve as our base camp. If we were to travel all at once in a single group to the base camp, our mobility would be restricted. The strategy is to split up into several groups to travel to the base camp." He then rolled up the map and said, "I shall announce those groups now. The first group is Sunflora, Loudred, Diglett and Croagunk."

Loudred spoke, "You guys! You'd better NOT hold me back!"

Sunflora told him, "You should talk!"

Chatot continued, "The next group is Dugtrio, Chimecho, and Corphish."

Dugtrio proclaimed, "We're a solid group!"

Chimecho said, "I promise to try my best!"

Corphish clicked his pincers, "Hey, hey, likewise!"

Chatot held a wing up to his beak, "Erm… Let's see…" He then faced Wigglytuff and said, "The Guildmaster and I shall travel as a pair… That is acceptable, yes?"

Wigglytuff looked shocked at that; he then whined, "Awwwww? I have to go with Chatot? That's so boooooring!"

Chatot restrained himself and sighed, "Please don't be difficult. This is a key element of our strategy."

Wigglytuff pouted, "…Meanie." Chimecho, Sunflora, and Chimchar quietly giggled at that.

Chatot looked at Skuntank's team and said, "Our guests, Team Skull, should travel independent of us as their own group."

Skuntank nodded, "Understood. Chaw-haw-haw!"

Chatot then faced the apprentices and said, "And the final group is Chimchar, Piplup, and Bidoof."

Bidoof said to Team Poképals, "We're in the same group! I hope I can keep up. Yup yup!"

Chimchar laughed, "Ha ha ha! Same here, Bidoof!"

Chatot spoke, "Well then… Everyone, let's get to it and move out!" He was answered with a unanimous "HOORAY!" Everyone then made their way towards the ladder, making their way out of the guild.

Outside of the guild, while each group began plotting their own courses to Fogbound Lake, Wigglytuff had Loudred and Diglett lock the guild up with a hidden iron gate that came down from the top of the entrance tent. The two of them then went over to Sunflora and Croagunk while Wigglytuff left a piece of paper on the gate. After several minutes of planning, all the groups left, each taking their own respective course.

Not long after everyone had left, a familiar Chimchar and Starly came up the steps leading to the guild. Alwin was perched on Carl's head, the Chimchar having little trouble with supporting the Starly's weight. When they reached the top, they quickly noticed the gate and the piece of paper attached to it. Alwin flew ahead and snatched the paper off the gate, landing and looking it over while Carl came over. After a minute, the Chimchar asked, "Well, what is it?"

Alwin replied, "It appears to be a crudely drawn map. It also says 'Sorry, we're away on an expedition! Please come back later!'"

Carl hit his left palm with his right fist, saying, "Ah, we must've just missed them! Does it say where they're going?"

Alwin looked back down at the map and said, "We're going to have to compare this to our Wonder Map. This map, if it can actually be called that, has a dot saying 'You are here' and something… I guess it could be a forest with a puffy cloud in the middle of it near the lower right margin."

Carl reached into his bag and pulled out his Wonder Map, unfolding it and setting it on the ground. Unusually, the Chimchar's map had a couple of marks on it, some of which had writing underneath them. After a moment, he said, "Well, there's not much to go on, but if that map is supposed to indicate the general location of where they're heading, then this might be their destination." He pointed to the same forest Chatot had pointed to during the briefing.

Alwin let the paper drop from his wings and said, "It's worth a shot, I guess. That location does seem to be pretty unknown, according to what we've heard. We'd better get back to Mike and let him know; he was the one who suggested tagging along, after all."

Carl asked, "Can't you go tell him, Helina, and Ali? I want to go after Team Poképals."

Alwin protested, "But Carl, we don't know for sure that that's where they're going. We don't even know if the whole guild is traveling together."

Carl said, "I have a feeling that would really slow them down. I'm willing to bet they split up into groups. And I know Chimchar's scent; if I can pick up on it, we'll have a better chance of predicting not just the path they're taking, but also where the guild is headed."

Alwin sighed, "All right, we'll do it your way. I'll stick with you, at least until you can isolate Chimchar's scent." He then hopped over to Carl and perched himself back on his head; the Chimchar then turned around and ran towards the stairs.

**Later, along the seacoast**

Chimchar, Bidoof, and Piplup were currently following a brown stone path on a cliff above the surface of the ocean. As they came around a corner, they saw a Kangaskhan Rock against the rock wall to their left, right next to a cave entrance. Chimchar went to the right side of the cave entrance and peered down over the side of the cliff, saying, "Wow! We sure are close to the sea now, guys! And just look at this cliff!"

Bidoof nodded, "Yup yup! I reckon this is looking more and more like a true expedition! The path ahead surely will get tricky, just what real explorers like to see!"

Piplup looked over at the Kangaskhan Rock and asked, "What's that?"

Bidoof looked at the rock before saying, "Oh this? This here is something well known to all us explorers. It's a Kangaskhan Rock."

Chimchar asked, "Kangaskhan Rock?"

Bidoof nodded, "Yes sirree, you heard right. That there's a Kangaskhan Rock. You can usually find them in safe locations like this, and it lets you stow and take out any items you have in storage. It's a real help to travelers."

Piplup asked, "How does it work?"

Bidoof sheepishly admitted, "…Well, I haven't had much of a chance to use Kangaskhan Rocks… Reckon I shouldn't oughta talk like a big shot… Gulp…! I just want to say again that this here's my first expedition! I'm feeling kind of nervous, by golly."

Chimchar replied, "Hey that goes for us too. We're all beginners at this. Let's just do our best." He then reached into his Treasure Bag saying, "Let's check the Wonder Map." He pulled out the rolled up map and began to unroll it while holding onto the right side of it. Piplup grabbed the left side, helping to keep the surface flat, and Bidoof moved to stand between them. Chimchar pointed to a spot near the middle of the map, saying, "This is where we are right now.

Bidoof nodded and pointed to their destination saying, "Yup, and this is where the base camp is being set up. We're still quite a ways away, yup yup."

Piplup pointed to a set of mountains past their current location and said, "We might be able to reach the base camp easier if we go over these mountains. What do you guys think? Does reaching this point sound like a good first objective?"

Bidoof nodded, "Yup yup! I agree with that."

Piplup let go of the map, allowing Chimchar to roll it up and place it back inside the Treasure Bag. He then said, "All right, let's get moving!"

He then stepped towards the cave entrance followed by Bidoof and Piplup, the penguin thinking to himself, "_Chimchar is starting to act like a leader. I don't think I noticed it before. Maybe it's the excitement from exploring that's bringing it out, but Chimchar is trying so much harder now… Yes, Chimchar is definitely getting stronger and more confident bit by bit…_"

His thoughts were interrupted by Chimchar, who said, "Oh… Huh?"

Bidoof asked, "Huh? Is something the matter?"

Chimchar looked back at Bidoof and said, "It looks like there are two entrances here."

Bidoof asked, "Huh? Now, that is mighty vexing."

Chimchar turned to Piplup and asked, "What should we do, Piplup? Which way should we go?"

Piplup walked up beside Chimchar and looked between the two entrances. After a moment, he walked near the entrance on the right and stuck his head in, even though he couldn't see anything. He then walked over to the entrance on the left and did the same. After seeming to think about it, he turned back to Chimchar and Bidoof and said, "Let's take this one."

Chimchar asked, "The left entrance?"

Bidoof wondered, "What were you doing just now?"

Piplup shrugged, "Trying to get a feel for where each entrance goes. It feels like the other entrance goes underground, but this one feels like it goes aboveground. If we went up, we might be able to see where we're going."

Chimchar said, "Oh! That makes sense!"

Bidoof exclaimed, "Golly! How do you know how to reckon that, Piplup?"

Piplup looked at Bidoof for a moment before admitting, "I don't know. But I do have a feeling that this is the way we should go."

Chimchar nodded, "Okay, let's try it!"

Bidoof added, "Let's all three work as one and get this done!" Piplup and Chimchar nodded; Piplup then allowed Chimchar to walk ahead of him and lead the way.

As Piplup had said, the left entrance path sloped upwards almost immediately after they walked through it. Not long after they started walking up the path, they saw sunlight up ahead, the exit they came across leading to Craggy Coast. The ground itself was a light gray color while the pebbles and rocks scattered around were a darker gray and dark brown respectively. There were also puddles of water of varying sizes dotted around the coast as well.

The three young explorers began making their way across the coast's rugged terrain, trying to avoid falling into the puddles of water as they did since some of them had mud in them. Along the way, they came across the occasional Spheal, Krabby, Dratini, and Wingull. They also found several Blue Gummis on the ground, Piplup grabbing them because they looked delicious to him. Chimchar and Bidoof actually had to restrain him several times in order to keep him from eating them all at once.

A little later, the three explorers were almost through Craggy Coast when they suddenly heard a clicking sound coming from nearby and came to a stop. "What's making that noise?" Piplup asked.

Everyone listened for a moment before Chimchar said, "I don't know, but it sounds like it's getting louder."

They all looked around, hoping to see movement amongst the rocks surrounding them. Suddenly, something caught Bidoof's attention and he looked up to see something falling towards them! "By golly, look out!" he exclaimed as he bumped into Piplup and Chimchar, pushing them out of the way. Moments later, whatever it was came crashing down where the trio had been standing, making a shallow crater in the ground.

They all looked back towards where the thing had landed, the dust beginning to settle. When it had settled enough for them to see, Chimchar said, "It's a Kingler! What did it do that for?"

The Pincer Pokémon soon turned to face them and Piplup said, "Uh, I don't like that look it's giving us…" The former human was feeling nervous because the Kingler's eyes appeared to be glowing red.

Shortly after it saw them again, the Kingler lunged towards them with its left claw in front of it, its pincers open for a ViceGrip attack. Piplup, Chimchar, and Bidoof separated from each other, Piplup diving into a puddle of water, Chimchar leaping onto one of the rocks, and Bidoof sliding back across the ground. The Kingler paused for a moment before charging towards Bidoof, its right claw glowing white as it readied a Metal Claw. Bidoof readied himself with Defense Curl, curling himself up into a ball. When Kingler's Metal Claw hit him, all it did was knock him back a short distance; he soon came out of the ball, hardly hurt at all.

Chimchar took this opportunity and leapt off the rock he was standing on, firing a Flamethrower at Kingler from behind. The Pincer Pokémon heard it coming and turned to face him, holding out its right claw and firing a Bubblebeam made of light blue bubbles out of it. The two attacks met for a moment before exploding together, neither one being strong enough to overcome the other. Piplup then leapt out of the puddle of water he was hiding in and shot towards Kingler in a Drill Peck attack. Kingler countered by first using Protect to stop the attack and then used Metal Claw to send Piplup flying.

Bidoof angrily charged at Kingler, head lowered in a Headbutt attack. He connected and managed to push the Pincer Pokémon backwards, but it held its ground and, after it stopped moving, used Crabhammer to knock him off his paws. Chimchar went into a Flame Wheel and rolled across the ground until he slammed into Kingler, who used Harden to reduce the damage from the Fire-type move. It then kicked him away with a Stomp attack while Piplup came running in from behind it. It started turning around, only to get hit on the side as Piplup used Fury Attack, jabbing it repeatedly with his beak. After the last hit, however, Kingler retaliated with ViceGrip, grabbing Piplup and pinning his wings to his sides with its pincer!

"Piplup!" Chimchar exclaimed, running towards Kingler on all fours, preparing to use Fury Swipes. The Pincer Pokémon responded by using Protect, Chimchar bouncing off the green barrier it formed and getting thrown back further when it struck him with Metal Claw. Bidoof attempted to attack with another Headbutt, but Kingler easily dealt with him by using Mud Shot, firing a ball of mud at him that exploded into a shower of mud and sent him flying.

Piplup, who up until now had been struggling to get out of Kingler's ViceGrip, now faced the Pincer Pokémon and used Brine to attack it. Kingler once again anticipated the attack and held its claw up in front of its face, blocking the stream of water. It then punched him right in the face with the claw, temporarily dazing the former human. Shortly afterwards, a familiar voice shouted, "Okay, that's it!" and a familiar Chimchar leapt onto the battlefield, landing in front of Chimchar and Bidoof.

Chimchar immediately recognized him and shouted, "Carl!"

Carl looked over his shoulder and held up his thumb, saying, "Leave this to me!" He then ran towards Kingler, who hissed at him and fired a Bubblebeam at him. Carl kept going and used Fury Swipes, his claws cutting through the bubbles before they could reach him. The Kingler looked surprised, but it soon used Protect, creating a green barrier around it and Piplup.

Carl grinned, "Let's see how you like this! Mach ThunderPunch!" He held back his right arm, a light blue glow laced with electricity surrounding his fist. He then shot forward at a fast speed, his fist hitting the Protect barrier and pushing against it. A moment later, a cracking sound was heard and a crack formed in the green barrier that began to grow; the barrier soon shattered and Carl swung his arm back, unleashing the final part of his combo on Kingler. The attack not only sent it flying, but also caused it to release Piplup, who fell into a sitting position.

Carl went over to check on him, the penguin shaking his head for a moment before opening his eyes and seeing the Chimchar with a black headband in front of him. "Oh… Hey Carl. Did you just get here?" he wondered.

Carl replied, "Yeah, pretty much. We can talk some more later; looks like that crazy Kingler is still going." Piplup looked over at the Kingler, which was getting back up despite being hit by a ThunderPunch.

Piplup stood up and Chimchar and Bidoof came over to join the two. Kingler glared at all of them and fired a Mud Shot at them, which Chimchar stopped with a Flamethrower, the flames burning up the ball of mud in midair. Now angrier, the Kingler tried to use Brine, Piplup countering with a Brine of his own, the two attacks canceling each other.

The Kingler stomped its feet angrily and charged at them, Piplup and Chimchar jumping to the sides while Carl simply jumped over Kingler. This left Bidoof to take Kingler's Flail attack, but he was ready; he used Defense Curl to help resist the damage caused by its flailing claws. When it was finished, he took the chance to hit it with Headbutt, knocking it back towards Carl who used one last ThunderPunch to finish it off. The Pincer Pokémon landed on the ground near one of the rocks, finally knocked out.

A short while later, Bidoof had been properly introduced to Carl and knew how Piplup and Chimchar had met him. With the introductions done, Chimchar asked, "So what are you doing here, Carl? And where's the rest of your team?"

Carl replied, "They'll be meeting up with us later. You guys are heading for some forest on this expedition of yours, right?"

Piplup nodded, "Yeah, that's where our base camp is going to be set up. How did you find out?"

Carl shrugged, "Alwin and me found the paper Wigglytuff left on the front gate and compared it to our map. After I picked up on where you guys were headed, Alwin left to go tell Mike, Helina, and Ali since I wanted to come with you guys."

Bidoof said, "Well golly, that's mighty nice of you, Carl. But I don't know how Wigglytuff and Chatot are going to take this. I'm pretty sure this is meant to be a guild-exclusive expedition, yup yup."

Carl replied, "I'm sure it is, Bidoof, but if you guys hadn't already left, Alwin and I were supposed to tell Wigglytuff that we wanted to volunteer our services for the expedition. I think Mike could tell I wanted to spend more time with Chimchar." Chimchar couldn't help but blush a little at that.

Piplup suggested, "Well, maybe you can help us. We're trying to reach the mountains ahead since we have to go through them to reach the base camp. When we get there and the rest of Team HBM arrives, we can find out what Wigglytuff has to say. How does that sound?"

Carl grinned, "Sounds good to me! I was planning to come along with you anyway; after all, you owe me for helping you out, Piplup!" The former human could tell Carl sounded like he wasn't going to hold him to that, but he did want to repay the Chimchar for saving him from the angry Kingler.

Bidoof said, "Well, I reckon that's a good plan. And you seem like a nice guy, Carl. If Piplup and Chimchar can trust you, then I trust you too."

Carl smiled, "Great! Then let's get moving! We might be through Craggy Coast, but we still have a ways to go before we reach the mountains!" And with that, he led the way out of Craggy Coast, Piplup, Chimchar, and Bidoof following close behind.

* * *

Whew! Well, I managed to get this up tonight. I'd just like to thank RandomPerson422 at Deviantart again for confirming a few things and allowing me to use his characters. I certainly hope everything's all right.

Hm, I think Dusknoir is naturally able to put on a less devious face when he needs to. That's my explanation for how he behaves at the beginning of this chapter.

As for the Kingler that was fought at Craggy Coast, it was just angered like so many Pokémon are due to time going out of control. The red eyes are a reference to how such Pokémon were portrayed in the anime episodes.


	10. Regroup, Surprise Meeting

Grovyle paced around his cell, as if hoping to find a way to escape from his imprisonment if he kept moving. "_Dusknoir's been gone too long. There's no way he'd leave me alone in a cell this long. He must've gone to Temporal Tower to tell Primal Dialga about his latest batch of 'criminals',_" he thought to himself. He soon came to a stop in the middle of the cell as he remembered something. "_That human he captured… He's just past my cell. Dusknoir was obviously able to communicate with him. Perhaps I can do the same. I'd rather not trust somebody I don't know, but if there's a way we can both get out of here…_"

He walked over to the locked doors and wrapped his claws around two of the bars. He then poked his head out through one of the open spaces and looked to his right, since that was the direction Dusknoir had come from when he left. He strained his eyes, but even when he did, he could just barely see the cell on the opposite side of the hall. Unable to use his eyes, he decided to make use of his voice instead. "Hey! Down there! Human! Can you hear me?" he called. When he received no response, he tried again, "Listen, I just want to talk to you! If you can hear me, give me a sign!" But there was still no indication that his words had reached the human's ears.

One might think that the human either couldn't hear Grovyle or was ignoring him, but neither would be entirely correct. The captured human was actually in a slight state of delirium. Well, except he didn't appear to have any psychological symptoms. He was slumped against one of the walls of his cell with his legs pulled up to his chest, his arms wrapped around them and his chin resting on top of his knees. He seemed so detached from the world, from the environment he was in. It was as though his brain had stopped processing any external stimuli, as if it knew what was going to happen to him.

Grovyle growled as he rested his head on the door, "What's eating him? Can he not understand me? Even if he can't, he should've heard me." He lifted his head off the door and said, "Unless I can find someone else who can help, I'll have to figure out how to escape from here by myself."

Suddenly, a voice from the cell next door spoke up, "Grovyle…? Are you there…?"

Grovyle immediately recognized it and asked, "Errol, is that you?"

The Mothim replied, "Yeah, I'm right next door, man! Where are we? It sure is dark and I can't get out of this room…"

Grovyle answered, "We're in the jail cells near the stockade. I didn't know Dusknoir put us so close together."

Errol immediately began to panic, "We're in jail? No way, this is not happening to me, er, us! I figured Dusknoir would be angry, but I didn't expect to wake up in a jail cell! What's he going to do to us, Grovyle?"

The wood gecko replied, "I don't know… yet. Do you know where Drake is?"

Errol replied, "I just woke up. I thought I heard your voice, so I asked to make sure. I have no idea where Drake could be."

A familiar voice piped up soon after, "I'm right over here, you freaky, honey-loving bug! What's the matter with you? I thought you could see in the dark!"

Grovyle looked over at the cell across the hall and asked, "Drake, are you in there?"

As he looked, he could just barely see the Gabite's yellow eyes in the darkness. He answered, "Of course I'm in here! What, you were expecting Dusknoir?"

Grovyle dryly answered, "That's not funny, Drake. And I think it would be appropriate to take this situation a little more seriously. We're locked up, waiting for Dusknoir to come back, and, when he does come back, who knows what he's going to do to us!"

Drake scoffed, "Oh please. Locked up? Well, not for long!" He backed up near the back wall of his cell and held his right claw back. He grinned, "One good Dragon Claw will take care of these bars and then we're out of here!" His right claw began to glow light blue and he dashed towards the doors of his cell.

Grovyle shouted, "Drake, no! Stop!" But it was too late; Drake ran up to the barred doors of his cell and made a horizontal slash with his claw. As soon as his claw came into contact with the doors, a strong force repelled him and sent him flying back into the wall. In the darkness, the Gabite looked a bit dazed as he lay up against the wall.

A moment later, Errol flatly said, "Nice going, tough guy. Care to try that one again?"

Upon hearing those words, Drake immediately got up, went over to the doors of his cell, and yelled, "Oh shut up, pipsqueak! I doubt you can do any better!"

Errol replied, "No, but at least I'm not the one who made himself look like an idiot because he didn't think things through."

Drake growled, "Why you little…!"

Grovyle shouted, "Stop it, both of you!" When they didn't respond, he said, in a calmer voice, "Drake, if attacks could break through the doors, don't you think a riot would've broken out by now? I don't know about the outside of the cell doors, but it takes a lot to be able to break through the doors when you're behind them. I've seen plenty of Pokémon behind these doors try that, only to end up getting hurt."

Drake growled, "Well, that's just great! So what do you suggest we do then? Stay here for the rest of our lives? I'm not gonna stay here forever just because we're friends, Grovyle!"

The wood gecko replied, "If you would calm down for a moment, Drake, we can start working on a way to get out of here."

Drake asked, "And how do you propose we do that?"

Errol spoke, "Hey, here's an idea for you, Drake. We could try THINKING about the situation and then maybe we could come up with a way to get out of here. Of course, for SOME of us, just thinking would be a first."

Drake growled, "Oh yeah, that's real funny, Errol. And just for the record…"

Grovyle interrupted, "Drake, quiet! Did you two hear that?" He, Drake, and Errol listened for a moment before they heard the sound of clacking footsteps in the distance, off to Grovyle and Errol's left and Drake's right.

Errol asked, "Are those the Sableye?"

Grovyle nodded, "Yes. Dusknoir is coming back!"

* * *

Carl led the way along a mountain path, Bidoof, Chimchar, and Piplup following close behind him. After leaving Craggy Coast, the group headed northeast to reach the mountains, going with their original plan of getting to the base camp by going over them. So far, they had made good time and were now approaching Mt. Horn, the last mountain they would have to go over to meet up with the rest of the guild.

Stopping along the side of the path for a moment, Bidoof sighed, "Whew… By golly, I reckon we're finally through."

Piplup nodded, "Yes, but we still have a ways to go before we reach the base camp."

Carl turned to look at him and said, "You're right. Let's check the Wonder Map."

Chimchar reached into his Treasure Bag and pulled out their Wonder Map. He then laid it on the ground and rolled it out, Piplup and Bidoof grabbing onto the edges to make sure it stayed straight. Chimchar then scanned the map for a moment before pointing to Mt. Horn's location and saying, "Here's where we are right now." He then pointed to a forest past Mt. Horn and said, "And this is where the base camp is located."

Bidoof spoke, "I reckon we've gotten ourselves a whole lot closer. We're almost there, yup yup!"

While Chimchar rolled up the Wonder Map, Carl said, "Then all we've got to do is cross over this mountain and we'll be at the base camp. Sounds simple enough. Let's go!" He turned around and was about to continue walking when he heard a sound behind him. Turning back around, he asked, "What was that?"

Bidoof blushed, "Whoops… That was my belly growling."

A similar sound came from Piplup and Chimchar, Chimchar giggling, "Ha ha ha! Us too!"

Carl shrugged, "So? Just grab an apple and eat it on the way." He then turned to leave.

Piplup ran up behind him and place a wing on his shoulder saying, "Wait, Carl!" When the other Chimchar looked back at him, he said, "It's not just that. Look how late it is; if we start climbing now, it'll probably be dark before we finish."

Bidoof piped up, "I'll agree with that! We can camp here for the night!"

Carl asked, "What's a little darkness? It's not like we won't have any light while we're up here. Besides, I used to move around in the night a lot back when I was little and I lived in the jungle. I'm no stranger to darkness."

Chimchar asked, "Your parents let you stay out after dark? I mean, if they thought you'd be fine, that's great and all, but I've heard jungles are dangerous places, especially at night."

Carl replied, "True, but I think it depends on the kind of jungle you're talking about."

Bidoof asked, "And what kind of jungle did you grow up in?"

Carl answered, "One made of concrete with a bit of steel mixed in."

Chimchar raised an eyebrow, "A concrete jungle?"

Carl nodded, "Exactly."

Piplup thought to himself, "_A concrete jungle…? Why does that sound familiar?_" Shaking his head, he said, "Well, I have a feeling that I'm used to traveling at night too, but that whole skirmish with the Kingler earlier left the rest of us a little tired. I'm not worried about something sneaking up on us while we're climbing or anything like that, Carl. I'm more worried that, since you're hardly tired at all, we'll be like a crutch to you."

Chimchar pleaded, "Please, Carl? Just this one time, just to make sure nothing goes wrong?"

The other Chimchar looked back at him for a minute before relenting, "All right. I do hate it when things go wrong, so we'll stop for the night and recharge. But we start climbing first thing in the morning, okay?"

Chimchar nodded, "Okay! Now let's eat!"

Bidoof cheered, "Yeeeehaw!"

As he watched the three of them set their things down and dig out the food, Carl thought to himself, "_I guess I am starting to get attached to Team Poképals. Except for Mike and the rest of the team, I don't think I'd agree to stop for anyone else. I just hope we make it to the base camp about the same time as they do._"

**The next morning…**

Carl shook everyone awake, saying, "Come on, guys, we have to get moving."

Piplup groaned as he rubbed the side of his head, "All right, I'm up, I'm up…" Chimchar and Bidoof also groaned a bit as they were shaken awake, but soon everyone was up and ready to start climbing.

As they stood in front of the path they were going to follow up the mountain, Bidoof said, "Crossing this mountain's going to take us to the base camp. Yup yup! Let's get it done!"

Chimchar nodded, "All right! Let's roll out!" With that, they began making their way up the mountain path.

Most of their journey to the top of the mountain was pretty uneventful. They saw some Cascoon that were attached to some of the rock walls, but except for letting out a cry or two, they basically left the explorers alone. Other than that and running into an Ariados, a Parasect, a Venomoth, and a Pineco, they encountered very little trouble while they were climbing up the mountain, which seemed to be going faster than they expected it to.

Near the summit, they found a split in the path: the left path would take them up to the summit while the right path looked like it would lead them down to the side of the mountain they wanted to be on. The group began making their way down the right path, Carl saying, "Okay, we're almost there, guys. Not much longer now."

Chimchar said, "I hope everyone else made it to the base camp okay. I mean, it hasn't been so bad for us, but there's no telling what everyone else could've run into."

Piplup turned his head to look back at him and said, "I'm sure they're fine, Chimchar. For now, let's just keep alert until we get to the base camp ourselves."

Carl grinned back at the penguin, "What are you talking about? We're basically off the mountain already; what else could we possibly see?"

As if on cue, a loud roar erupted from behind the group, everyone jumping up at the sudden sound and looking behind them at the path. Bidoof shakily asked, "Golly, what do you suppose that was?"

Out of the corner of everyone's vision, something flew off to their left and they turned their heads to follow it. They saw a large, purple bird-like Pokémon that was beginning to turn around and fly back towards Mt. Horn. Piplup murmured, "That's, uh… It's… It's right on the tip of my tongue…"

Carl spoke, "It's an Aerodactyl, Piplup. And judging from the way it's flying, I'd say it has its eyes on something."

Chimchar nervously suggested, "Uh, maybe we should move on, then. Just, you know, to get out of its way?"

Bidoof agreed, "Yup, I'd say that's a good idea. Especially with the way it's looking at us…" At that, they all started to move again, though at a faster pace than before.

Unfortunately, the Aerodactyl had its eyes on the group and did not take kindly to their sudden attempt to get away. As it got closer, it unleashed a Supersonic attack on them, emitting multiple rings from its mouth that caused everyone to stop and hold their ears to try to block out the noise. When the ringing in Piplup's ears finally stopped, he opened his eyes and looked around. He soon asked, "Where's Carl?"

Chimchar heard him and immediately began looking around as well. He soon looked up and shouted, "Up there!" Piplup and Bidoof looked up to see that Carl had been grabbed by the Aerodactyl during that Supersonic attack, the Aerodactyl's claw holding him. It began flying towards the top of Mt. Horn, so Piplup, Chimchar, and Bidoof quickly turned around and ran back up the path, taking the path to the summit when they returned to the fork in the road.

Carl, meanwhile, was struggling to get out of the Aerodactyl's grasp. It had surprised him when it grabbed him and, after it began flying again, he immediately attempted to break free with a ThunderPunch. Unfortunately, the Fossil Pokémon saw what he was trying to do and let go of him while jerking its claw upwards. This sudden action threw any thoughts of trying to slug the Aerodactyl with a ThunderPunch out the window. While he was in the air, the Aerodactyl took advantage of his shock and grabbed him around the middle, pinning his arms to his sides.

Carl growled to himself; all he could move was his head and legs, neither of which would be able to do him much good. "_Note to self: after this expedition, start working on mastering some other kind of kick in case this happens again. A concussive kick really doesn't do me a lot of good here,_" he mentally noted to himself. The Aerodactyl soon landed on a perch near the top of Mt. Horn. Carl turned his head as much as he could to look at the Aerodactyl and asked, "So what's your problem, huh? What do you want with me?" At that, the Aerodactyl shot him a toothy grin, to which Carl growled, "Oh no. No way. No way in he-"

He was cut off when a sudden Flamethrower suddenly hit Aerodactyl in the face, causing it to screech in pain. It then growled angrily and took to the air, at which point Carl could see Piplup, Chimchar, and Bidoof on the path below, ready to attack. Before the Aerodactyl could attack them, Chimchar fired another Flamethrower up at it. It easily dodged the attack this time, but wasn't ready when Piplup released a Hydro Pump shortly after Chimchar used Flamethrower and hit it right in the chest. The shock caused it to release its grip on Carl, who was caught by the trio below before he hit the ground.

Now even angrier than before, the Aerodactyl shook its head and glared down at the group before flying straight down towards them with its mouth open for a Bite attack. Before it reached them, the group quickly scattered, Piplup and Carl going down the path while Chimchar and Bidoof went up the path. Unable to grab them all, Aerodactyl reoriented itself before it could crash into the side of the mountain. It then flew away from the mountain, intending to catch them with the same trick as before.

Carl watched the Aerodactyl for a moment before calling to everyone, "I think it's going to try that Supersonic trick again! Be ready to dodge just in case!" Everyone nodded and waited; sure enough, the Aerodactyl unleashed a Supersonic attack towards everyone as it came back towards the mountain. Chimchar and Carl climbed up the rocky mountain face along the path to dodge it while Piplup and Bidoof ran out of its way. Now they were even further apart, which frustrated the Aerodactyl further.

After climbing up on the ledge above, Chimchar and Carl looked back to see the Aerodactyl readying an Ancientpower attack, forming a silver ball of energy in its mouth and firing it at both of them. Both Chimchar leapt out of the way and, after landing, fired their Flamethrowers at the Fossil Pokémon. Before either of them hit, however, the Aerodactyl suddenly seemed to disappear! "Hey, where'd it go?" Chimchar exclaimed.

Carl glanced back over his shoulder to see the Aerodactyl quickly flying around, soon turning to fly towards them while inhaling a lot of air. Carl quickly dashed over to Chimchar and pushed him to the ground just before the Aerodactyl unleashed its Roar attack as it flew overhead. It took a firm grip and pressing all of his weight down to manage, but Carl was able to keep both himself and Chimchar from being blown clear off the mountain by the Roar. After the attack ended, Carl glared up in the Aerodactyl's direction as he said, "That sneaky bird used Agility to increase its speed! It's not going to be easy to hit it now!"

Chimchar suggested, "Maybe Piplup can get it to stop!" Easing himself out from under Carl, Chimchar went over to the nearby ledge and called down, "Hey Piplup! Can you stop Aerodactyl with a Whirlpool attack?"

Piplup called back up, "I'll give it a try!" He then looked back to search for Aerodactyl, only to see it speeding towards him. The former human quickly leapt out of the way before it could grab him and, after landing, ran over to a rock sticking out of the rocky wall, using it to leap up to Chimchar and Carl's level. He turned around to see the Aerodactyl glaring at him as it flapped its wings to get above the three Pokémon. Before it could attack again, Piplup opened his beak and created a whirlpool over his head, using his wings to throw it at the Aerodactyl. The swirling water vortex enveloped part of Aerodactyl in midair, restricting its movement. While it was trapped, Chimchar surrounded the Whirlpool with a Fire Spin, damaging Aerodactyl some more, and Carl finished it off with an Ice Punch, knocking it free of the two attacks and sending it crashing down to the ground below, though it weathered the force of the fall since it was part Rock-type.

A few minutes later, the group was making their way back down the path. Bidoof said, "That sure was one intense fight! Golly, I was worried when Carl was grabbed by that Aerodactyl, but he didn't worry a bit! Did you, Carl?"

Carl easily replied, "Not really, Bidoof. But…" He then smiled at Piplup and Chimchar as he said, "Thanks for helping me get out of that scrape, guys."

Piplup smiled back, "No problem, Carl. So are we even now?"

It took Carl a moment to get what Piplup was referring to, but when he did, he grinned, "Oh right, that. Yeah, I'd say your debt is repaid."

Chimchar said, "That's great! Now how about we go meet up with everyone else from the guild?" Everyone agreed and continued on down the path. The fork in the road was coming up.

Just as they were about to reach it, they suddenly heard a voice coming from the path they would be taking down, "Oh, it would appear there are other explorers here. Rather brave explorers, I might add." Stepping down in front of the fork, everyone looked down the path to see a Pokémon approaching them. The Pokémon in question was mostly black with a single black eye that had a yellow iris and red pupil, two yellow bands near its black wrists and gray hands, two almond-shaped eye-like markings on its chest with a zigzag line running underneath them, giving it the appearance of a face, another yellow band near the yellow antenna on the top of its head, a ghostly tail, and no feet. It seemed rather intimidating to the young explorers.

Carl, being the first to speak up, asked as the Pokémon floated closer, "Who are you?"

The Pokémon politely answered, "My name is Dusknoir. I am an explorer, much like you four I presume. I saw the commotion on the mountain and thought I could help settle whatever was going on, but it would appear my services aren't needed now."

Chimchar giggled nervously, "Heh heh… uh, sorry?"

Dusknoir replied, "Please. You've done nothing wrong. It is my fault for not being fast enough." He then asked, "While we're on the topic, what are you brave kids doing out here by yourselves?"

Carl was quick to answer for everyone, "We're part of the crew for the Wigglytuff Guild's expedition! We were just on our way to meet up with the rest of the crew when that Aerodactyl showed up!"

Dusknoir replied, "Part of an expedition, you say? Interesting… Well, don't let me hold you up any further. Take care." He then floated past them, holding up his right hand as he floated in the direction of Craggy Coast.

After he left their sight, Chimchar said, "He seemed like a nice guy, didn't he?"

Bidoof nodded, "He sure did, yup yup! That's what I would expect from a famous explorer like Dusknoir!"

Carl asked, "That guy is famous?"

Bidoof replied, "Yup! You've never heard of him?" Carl shook his head, as did Chimchar, so Bidoof explained, "Well, I suppose that's not such a surprise. He's a new arrival; it's like he came out of nowhere overnight! He's supposedly an amazing explorer, yup yup!"

Carl raised an eyebrow, "Really?"

Bidoof nodded, "Yup! So let's get going and head for the base camp! We can talk more about Dusknoir along the way!" He then started walking down the path, soon followed by Carl and Chimchar. Piplup stayed where he was a little longer before turning and following after them. For some reason, just listening to Dusknoir talk had made him feel like he'd had an overwhelming sense of déjà vu…

**Later…**

Piplup, Chimchar, Bidoof, and Carl entered the foggy clearing the base camp was set up in, Bidoof saying, "Howdy, folks! Sorry to keep you all waiting!"

Chatot came over and said, "Ah, I see you've made it. Now everyone is present and…" He stopped short when he noticed Carl standing next to Chimchar. He pointed a wing at the other Chimchar and asked, "Who are you?"

Carl answered, "Carl Frank, sir. I'm a member of Team HBM."

Chatot nodded, "I see. And may I ask you what you're doing here, Mr. Frank?"

Chimchar said, "He and the rest of his team want to be a part of the expedition, Chatot!"

Chatot exclaimed, "What? Excuse me, Chimchar, but this is a guild-only expedition! No outside help is allowed and… what do you mean by 'the rest of his team'?"

A familiar voice spoke up, "That sounds like our cue, guys!" Piplup, Chimchar, Bidoof, and Carl turned around to see Mike, Helina, Alwin, and Ali approaching.

Carl smiled, "Mike! You guys made it!"

Alwin smiled back, "It wasn't too hard to keep tabs on your location and follow behind you."

Carl grinned, "Should've guessed you'd be keeping watch, Alwin."

Piplup looked over the other HBMs a little more and noticed that they looked… a bit roughed up. "Looks like you guys had some fun getting here as well. What happened?" he wondered.

Helina simply replied, "We got ambushed by a bunch of Water-types."

Carl said, "Sounds like a gang. Anyone we know?"

Helina answered, "Yeah. You shouldn't even have to ask."

Carl held a hand to his head as he said, "Oh, them. Wasn't that Swampert enough? That was already too much water for me."

Chatot yelled, "May I have your attention please!" Everyone turned to face Chatot, who looked rather angry over this sudden turn of events. He spoke sternly, "In case you've already forgotten, this is a guild-only expedition! Team Skull is the only team that is not part of the guild that is allowed to be here with us! We do not need two teams, so you all can turn right around and leave! And take your Chimchar with you too, Team Whatever! Your presence here is not wanted or needed!"

Mike calmly walked over to Chatot and said, "Chatot, sir, if I may, I realize that we have no right to be here when you are, but think about this for a moment. We were willing to put our own work on hold to follow our new friends on their guild expedition, knowing full well that we might be rejected on the spot. However, those in the know will vouch for our high level of success for virtually any job out there, some of which came from your guild. At the very least, don't you think we can at least talk with Wigglytuff about this before you shoo us away?"

Chatot glared at him for a moment before relenting, "Very well. We will take this up with the Guildmaster. But do not be surprised if he agrees with me." He then turned to Piplup, Chimchar, and Bidoof and said, "And you three! Go set your equipment down and find a tent! Make haste! We'll be having our strategy briefing in the morning, with or without our new guests."

Bidoof nodded, "Yes sirree!" With that, Chatot led Mike and the rest of Team HBM in the direction of the tent that he and Wigglytuff were sleeping in.

Bidoof and Chimchar began to move to check with the other guild members about which tents were available, but Piplup didn't follow them. Chimchar noticed this after a moment and turned back to look at him, Bidoof stopping and turning around when he heard Chimchar asked, "What's wrong, Piplup?"

Piplup thought to himself, "_What's this weird sensation? It's kind of like when we met Dusknoir. I don't know why I'm feeling this way… Do I… know this place? Have I been here before? Maybe. Does it have something to do with me? Before I lost my memory?_" He then noticed Chimchar and Bidoof looking at him and asked, "What?"

Chimchar asked, "Are you feeling okay, Piplup?"

The penguin replied, "Uh, yeah I think so."

Bidoof said, "Well, let's go then!" With that, the three of them began to walk around the base camp and converse with the other guild members.

**Inside Wigglytuff's tent**

Chatot flew between the flaps of the tent, Mike and the rest of Team HBM following close behind him. Chatot landed in front of the mat Wigglytuff was sitting on, Mike, Helina, Carl, Alwin, and Ali standing in a line behind him so they could all be seen. Chatot spoke, "Guildmaster! I present to you a team that wishes to join our expedition!" Wigglytuff didn't respond to that; he simply stared at everyone with his big blue eyes, making Team HBM wonder if he even heard Chatot. The Music Note Pokémon asked, "Um, Guildmaster?"

Suddenly, Wigglytuff startled everyone by saying, "Hiya! I'm Wigglytuff! I'm the Guildmaster of Wigglytuff's Guild! You want to join our expedition? That's fine by me!" He grinned like a little child, seemingly oblivious to the shocked look on Chatot's face.

Helina nudged Mike and whispered, "That was a quick debate."

Mike smiled, "Yeah. I thought he might say yes after we talked, but I didn't expect him to say it before we said anything."

Chatot spoke, "But Guildmaster! We already have Team Skull with us on this expedition! We've lived with them, gotten to know them! These five just came out of the fog and are asking to join simply because they apparently know Team Poképals!"

Wigglytuff simply grinned, "And how is that an issue, Chatot? If they've worked with Team Poképals before, then they can surely work with the rest of our apprentices and Team Skull!" He turned to Team HBM and asked, "You said you've worked with Team Poképals before, right?"

Ali murmured, "Actually, we haven't said anything since we stepped into this tent…"

Mike spoke up, "To be honest, Wigglytuff, we did work with Team Poképals to bring down a strong outlaw during the last few days when the guild was selecting for this expedition of yours. We'd only just gotten to know them, but it didn't take us long to come to an understanding with each other. No matter what we faced on that mission, we all worked flawlessly together, just like any real HBM would. It's not our strength, endurance, or teamwork that makes us HBMs, not by a long shot. All that came naturally after 5 years of work. What makes an HBM an HBM is the ability to take a hit, or several in most cases, and continue on like it never happened. We were all hit hard in the last battle when we kept Onix's guards away from Team Poképals, but we're HBMs; no one would ever have noticed."

Chatot looked utterly surprised at Mike's words, but Wigglytuff simply clapped his hands and said, "All the better! I like all of you already! Welcome to the expedition!" He then quickly ushered Team HBM out of the tent, leaving a still shocked Chatot behind. Outside, Wigglytuff addressed everyone, "May I have your attention please!" When everyone turned to look at him, he went on, "Everyone, I would like to introduce you to our new allies, Team HBM! I know most of you might be a little unsure about working with them, but I, along with Team Poképals, can assure you that they can be counted on! So let's all together welcome them with open arms to our crew!"

Although they were initially unsure about the new arrivals, upon hearing Wigglytuff's words, everyone came over and began introducing themselves to Mike, Helina, Carl, Alwin, and Ali. Everyone except Team Skull, that is. They stayed near their tent and watched as everyone fawned over the new arrivals. "Ugh! How come we didn't get a reception as good as these losers? This is ridiculous!" Zubat complained.

"Whoa-ho-ho! You said it, Zubat. We had to act all nice to get Wigglytuff and Chatot to agree to let us join in, but they get to join in just because they know those Poképals wimps? And speaking of which, how can they assure anybody of anything?" Koffing asked.

Zubat growled, "Well, if they think they can show us up, they've got another thing coming! This means war! Heh-heh, right Chief?" But Skuntank didn't answer him. He heard what the bat was saying and agreed with him, but his eyes and mind were more focused on the newcomers, particularly on the little brown fox in the group…

* * *

Whew, I finally got this done and I think it's acceptable. Here's hoping that it is...

I've got this idea that the cells in the future have to be resistant to Pokémon attacks since I'm sure the hero/heroine, their partner, and Grovyle aren't the only ones who've been in those cells. They've got to be made of something strong to keep Pokémon in, right?

And it looks like we have some hints to Carl's past and about Team HBM in general. I'd like to thank RandomPerson422 for clearing things up for me.

Uh... yeah, I don't have anything really relevant to put here. Hope you'll keep an eye out for the next chapter. It should be a doozy to write...


	11. Scars New and Old, Breakout

"_All right, keep moving!" Mike recognized the voice as his own, though it seemed to have a noticeably dark tone to it. He could see clearly and feel his body's movements, so the first thing he did was run through a mental checklist. He was no longer a Riolu; he now appeared to be in his true form, though his skin appeared to be quite pale, his blue jacket and jeans seemed to have become a purplish-black color, and his hair and eyes were definitely the wrong color. In his hands was his trusty F2000 assault rifle, and he was pointing it at…_

"_Yes sir" was the seemingly resigned response from the one he was pointing the rifle at, which confused him even more. It was a young boy, probably no older than ten years old, and he had his hands up as he was being escorted. He wore a red flat cap that had Poké Ball symbols on the sides and stuck out a little in the front atop his wild raven black hair, a red scarf that went down to about the middle of his back, a dark blue vest over a light blue T-shirt, an orange bracelet on his right wrist, greenish-blue jeans, and red sneakers that were white along the sides and on top._

_Mike had no idea who this kid was, but he acted as though he did, leading him up a metal ramp that went over a lava trench up onto a metal platform built on top of rock that had an elevator on it. Just before they could reach the elevator, a voice called out from behind them, "Hold it right there!" They both came to a halt and Mike looked back over his shoulder to see a man who looked to be in his early twenties with gray spiky hair, silver sunglasses, and was wearing a blue trench coat that had some kind of device on the left sleeve over a black outfit standing a short distance from the ramp pointing dual Berettas at him. The man spoke, "You're not going any farther, Long Arm."_

_Whatever the situation was, Mike didn't seem to be fazed by the threat or the man's use of his call sign, for he simply responded, "Took you long enough to get here. What happened to your girl and the rest of your group?"_

_The man said, "They're coming now." Sure enough, a group of humans and Pokémon soon came running up behind the man. It was quite a big group, but the only one Mike really seemed to notice was a girl in the group. She had green hair that was tied back into a long ponytail and was wearing a red mini dress with long sleeves, pink boots, long white socks, a white scarf that had both ends hanging down in front of her, a white beanie with a Poké Ball symbol on the front, a white bag, and a pink Pokétch on her left arm._

_She soon spoke, "You might as well give up! We already dealt with the rest of your squad before we came here! You're the only one left now!"_

_Mike was silent for a moment, but then he smirked, "Give up? I don't think so, especially not when I have this ace right here." Letting his right arm, which now held the F2000, drop to his side, he used his left arm to grab the kid in front of him and pressed him against his front before turning around, exposing him to the group. Having been hidden from view up until now, the boy had let his hands drop to his sides and just now made no resistance when he was grabbed._

_The man with the Berettas immediately pulled his guns back, pointing them up towards the ceiling, while everyone else in the group seemed to be surprised at who he was holding. The girl gasped, "What? How did you…?"_

_Mike calmly but dangerously replied, "For your sake, you all had better just stay where you are. He's got a date with destiny and nobody's going to mess it up. Those are my master's orders."_

_**Darkness, then…**_

Mike murmured something as he came back to the waking world, his green-brown eyes opening and shutting several times before they stayed open. After a moment, he sat up and looked around the tent that he and his team (except for Alwin) were sharing with Team Poképals. Helina was still curled up by his side, nuzzling him a bit in her sleep. "_Looks like I'm the first one up,_" he thought to himself. He then thought back to what he'd witnessed in his sleep. "_What did I see last night? Who were all those people and what was going on? And 'master'? Who was I talking about?_"

His thoughts were interrupted by Helina pressing against the side of his leg and he couldn't help but smile down at her. He felt really guilty for doing so, but he placed his paw on top of her head and gave her a light shake, trying to rouse her. Her eyes soon opened and she glanced up at Mike, smiling at him. "Hey Mike," she said sweetly.

He smiled back, "Morning, Helina." Taking a moment to let his eyes wander around the tent, he said, "I guess we should wake the others up too."

Helina sat up and pressed against his side as she asked, "Do we have to?" Mike could swear there was a hint of playfulness in her voice, which easily washed away any ill feelings he had about his dream.

Their moment was ruined, however, when Loudred stuck his head inside the tent and shouted, "UP AND AT 'EM! IT'S MORNING!" He then quickly pulled his head back out, possibly because he noticed that Mike and Helina were both shooting him death glares.

Loudred's yell roused everyone, both Chimchar and Carl's flames springing to life shortly afterwards as everyone began to wake up. Alwin soon appeared at the entrance to their tent, having flown down from the tree he was sleeping in, and asked, "Okay, who's the wise guy that ordered the air horn?"

Piplup groaned as he sat up, "Ugh, I thought we'd be free of having to listen to Loudred's voice while we were on this expedition. So much for that…"

Chimchar asked, "Hey, aren't we supposed to have a strategy briefing this morning?"

Carl grunted, "Yeah, but is that really enough of a reason for Wigglytuff to tell Loudred to shout like that in every tent?"

Piplup sighed, "That was probably Chatot's bright idea."

Helina said, "Well, we're all up. We might as well get out there and figure out what we're doing." Everyone nodded and gathered up their things before exiting the tent and walking over to where the rest of the guild was gathering.

After a few minutes, Chatot began the briefing. "Erm… Attention, please. It seems that everyone has arrived at our base camp safe and sound. We shall now proceed to the exploration of Fogbound Lake!" Gesturing at the path behind him, he continued, "As you can see, we are in a densely forested area. Somewhere within this forest, Fogbound Lake is supposedly concealed… But so far, that has been nothing more than a rumor. Exploration teams of all stripes have mounted many a challenge, but so far the lake has eluded discovery."

Corphish piped up, "Hey, hey! So is it really there or what? This Fogbound Lake?"

Sunflora reprimanded him, "Silly Corphish. You'll wreck the dream if you say something like that."

Loudred agreed, "Yeah, don't spoil things now!" The Ruffian Pokémon shrunk back at these comments, quietly clacking his pincers together.

Chimecho spoke, "Um, if I may?" When everyone turned to look at her, she said, "Um, while we were traveling, I heard about a certain legend."

Chatot asked, "A legend, you say?"

Chimecho nodded, "Yes. A legend about Fogbound Lake. According to the legend, Fogbound Lake is home to a Pokémon named Uxie. The Pokémon is said to be exceedingly rare. Uxie is said to lock eyes with others and wipe their memories clean."

At that, Piplup thought to himself, "_Wipe their memories… clean? Could it be?_" Glancing to the side, he noticed Mike looking at him with an eye before turning to look back in Chimecho's direction. Piplup was willing to bet Mike was thinking the same thing he was.

Chimecho continued, "That is why, even if travelers were to happen upon Fogbound Lake, Uxie would wipe their memories clean… Thereby muzzling the travelers from revealing the existence of the lake. And that is how Uxie protects Fogbound Lake. I was told such a legend remains."

Bidoof shivered, "Golly, that's a pretty hair-raising tale…"

Loudred sweat dropped, "What'll I do if my MEMORY is wiped clean?"

Sunflora cheekily said, "I don't think you have much to worry about. After all, you're so forgetful anyway, you make me go eek!"

Chatot cleared his throat to get everyone's attention and then spoke, "You should realize that places of this sort can be expected to have a folktale or a legend attached to them. Our guild has overcome difficult challenges and obstacles when conducting successful explorations."

Sunflora said, "Absolutely, eek!"

Dugtrio added, "That's how our guild has earned the reputation for being first class."

Wigglytuff spoke up, "Ha ha ha! Don't worry, everything will be all right! Let's believe in success for this adventure too, and… Let's try! Let's try!"

Chatot looked at him for a moment before turning back to the crew and saying, "Let's move on with our plan. The Guildmaster and I will remain here to gather intelligence from our teams in the field. You are to go off in teams to explore this forest. Be aware that this forest is enshrouded in a deep fog. Once you enter it, visibility is severely restricted. We think that Fogbound Lake has defied discovery because of this fog. Perhaps there is a way of lifting this fog. Therefore, your search is twofold: one, search for Fogbound Lake. And two, find a way to lift this fog. If you accomplish either thing, return to the base camp and tell me or the Guildmaster. That is all. All right, everyone. Let's give it our best, as always."

A loud cheer rose up from the guild members, after which they began to converse with each other. "Let's all try our best!" Sunflora exclaimed.

"It'd be nice if we made a discovery or two," Bidoof said.

"We'll find the lake! I'm sure of it!" Chimecho said with confidence.

"I'll be the FIRST to find it!" Loudred replied.

Diglett looked over at his father and asked, "Dad, do you think maybe Fogbound Lake could be under the ground? I was thinking we should try looking underground."

Dugtrio replied, "Ah, my son, my pride and joy. You make me proud. Let's look underground." He then said to everyone else, "Okay everyone, we're off." He then burrowed underground, followed afterwards by Diglett.

"Hey, hey, hey! We can't afford to dawdle either!" Corphish exclaimed.

Bidoof nodded, "Yup yup! We need to hurry!" With that, everyone except the Exploration Teams headed out into the forest.

Mike glanced over at Team Poképals and said, "Guess we'll be off too. See you later, guys." Holding up a paw, he headed in the direction of the forest along with the rest of the HBMs following behind him, though Helina stopped for a moment to shoot a dark glare in Skuntank's direction before running to catch up with Mike. She knew he'd been looking at her and was silently warning him to stay away from her if he wanted to live to an old age.

After Team HBM became little more than silhouettes in the fog, Skuntank turned to Koffing and Zubat and said, "Well then, we should go too. Hmm, boys? Chaw-haw-haw!"

Zubat snickered, "Heh-heh-heh!"

Koffing grinned, "Whoa-ho-ho!" And with that, the three of them headed off into the forest, leaving Team Poképals alone with Chatot and Wigglytuff. Zubat and Koffing couldn't see it, but the look on Skuntank's face seemed to indicate that he was interested in looking for something other than Fogbound Lake…

Chimchar turned to Piplup and said, "Let's go, Piplup. We need to hurry."

Piplup didn't reply; instead, he was contemplating the feeling he was getting from the area they were in. "_I know this place… According to the legend, the Pokémon Uxie can wipe clean the memories of others. Are these two things really just a coincidence? Hmm… Maybe I came here before I lost my memory. Then maybe I met Uxie and had my memory wiped clean. Could that have happened?_" he thought to himself.

Chimchar spoke, "Hey, Piplup!" Having been broken out of his thoughts, the penguin turned to look at Chimchar. The fire monkey asked, "Why do you keep drifting off like that? It's not like you. Come on, let's get going!" Piplup nodded and followed behind Chimchar as he led the way into Foggy Forest.

As he followed behind, Piplup thought, "_Anyway… Maybe the keys to unlocking my memory are here… Fogbound Lake… I might find some answers if Fogbound Lake can be found…_"

Chimchar suddenly noticed something off to the side of the path and came to a stop, asking, "Huh? What's this?" Piplup didn't notice his stop fast enough and accidentally bumped into his side.

Piplup quickly backed up and said, "Sorry."

Chimchar waved it off and looked back at what had caught his attention: a shiny red stone somewhat hidden from plain sight by a nearby rock. "It looks like some kind of stone, I guess. It's red and pretty. It's kind of like a gem, actually," he said. He walked over to the stone and picked it up with both hands. Turning to Piplup, he said, "Wow! This stone feels warm! It's like heat is coming from inside the stone. It's weird. It doesn't seem to be lava, but what could it be? It might be rare. I'll hang onto it." He slipped into the Treasure Bag and both he and Piplup continued onward into Foggy Forest.

**Later, deeper inside the Foggy Forest**

Team HBM was walking along a forest path, searching for any clues that might help them locate Fogbound Lake. Alwin stayed close to the ground near the rest of the team since the fog would limit how far he'd be able to see. Mike noticed that Helina was constantly glancing back as they walked, her eyes narrowed every time. "What's the matter, Helina?" he asked.

She answered, "I'm keeping an eye out for that Skuntank jerk. It's bad enough he and his team messed with our new friends and have managed to keep it hidden from the rest of the Wigglytuff Guild, but now I get the feeling he's stalking me, like he thinks I'm going to fall for him over you. If I see his ugly mug, I'm going to blast him and his sorry excuses for teammates with a cluster of Shock Grenades."

Carl said, "Nobody would want to be stalked by someone like him, that's for sure. Heck, I'd take the stalkers I had to deal with in my younger days over him. At least they smelled better."

Ali asked, "Yeah? And who stalked you when you were little?"

Carl replied, "Gang members."

Mike asked, "Why would gang members stalk you, Carl?"

The Chimchar replied, "Because I was in a gang too. I was involved in ambushes, firefights, and all other kind of crazy stuff back then."

Alwin looked at him incredulously, "No way. How old were you?"

Carl shrugged, "Eight."

Mike asked, "You were eight years old and you were involved with a gang? How come we've never heard about this before?"

Before Carl could respond, Helina's ears twitched and she growled, "Someone's spying on us. From up above."

Everyone directed their gazes up, a shrill cry being heard moments afterward and a faint figure suddenly flying over the team in the fog above. Mike brought his paws close together and murmured, "Bad idea." He formed a red Aura Sphere between his paws and threw it up and ahead of where the team was standing. The sound of an explosion was heard seconds later; Mike used his Aura to see that the spy was a Fearow and it had crash-landed a fair distance up ahead.

When Mike told the others this, Ali asked, "Why would a Fearow be so interested in what we were talking about that it would spy on us?"

Carl said, "Let's go to where it crashed and find out." The team started running forward, heading in the Fearow's direction.

They soon saw where the Fearow had crashed, but before they could reach it, a Machoke leapt out of the nearby bushes and grabbed the Fearow before running deeper into the fog. When it turned around, Alwin thought he saw a white bandanna around its arm with something printed on it. He took this to mean something and said, "They must be part of a gang! We can't let them get away!" Everyone nodded and ran after the Machoke.

While they were chasing the Machoke, they began to hear sounds off in the distance. "What's making all that noise? Are those Machoke and Fearow's allies?" Helina wondered out loud. They soon arrived at a clearing where the fog was less dense, where they all looked on in surprise at the source of all the noise.

Somewhere up ahead in the fog, they could see silhouettes moving around, but what really grabbed their attention at the moment was what was coming towards them. A Vibrava and a Nuzleaf were chasing a Pokémon none of the HBMs had seen before and they were coming right towards them. The Pokémon in question had a round white head that had two triangular blue ears on the sides, a dark-orange nose, what appeared to be freckles on its cheeks, a light blue torso that had a yellow seashell on the front, white arms, dark blue feet, and a dark blue tail. Even with all the experience they had between them as a team, they had no idea what this Pokémon was.

They were snapped back to reality when the Pokémon cried, in a voice that distinctly indicated it was female, "Someone, anyone, please help me!" Team HBM didn't know what was going on, but this Pokémon was clearly being ganged up on; they had to do something! Without needing to be told to, Alwin and Carl sprung into action. Carl leapt at the Nuzleaf and sent it flying with a single Fire Punch while Alwin intercepted the Vibrava with an Aerial Ace.

Seeing that her pursuers had been taken care of, the unknown Pokémon noticed Mike waving a paw in his direction, telling her that it was safer by them. She chose to believe his sign and ran over to him, at which point she hid behind him. Helina looked the Pokémon over: she appeared to be out of breath, but other than that and maybe a few scrapes, she appeared to be okay. She asked, "What's going on here?"

The Pokémon seemed to ignore her question since she pointed towards the fog and said, "There are more of them in there! And they… they…!"

Ali asked, "They what?"

Before the Pokémon could respond, a group of Pokémon burst out of the fog, causing her to scream in fear. In addition to the Vibrava and Nuzleaf that Alwin and Carl had sent flying, the group was made up of a Vigoroth, a Marshtomp, a Shuckle, and the Machoke and Fearow they'd been chasing earlier. "Evidently, they're coming for us!" Mike exclaimed. He looked back at the Pokémon and said, "You'd better stay back! This is going to get ugly!" The Pokémon nodded and ran into some nearby bushes, her eyes looking out between the leaves.

Alwin took to the air, both Vibrava and Fearow following after him, somewhat amazed at the Starly's speed. Mike and Helina went after Machoke and Vigoroth together, taking advantage of their small size to outwit the larger Pokémon, while Carl went to deal with Marshtomp and Shuckle himself. As for Ali, he disappeared shortly after the fight started, reappearing and disappearing to catch any of the ground Pokémon by surprise while they were focused on one of his other teammates, though he mostly stayed close to Carl to help him.

As the battle continued, stray attacks began to alter the battlefield around them, though every time Mike turned to check on the Pokémon they were protecting, he was relieved to see that nothing had come close to her yet. After dodging a Slash attack from the Vigoroth, he retaliated with a Force Palm attack and Carl came to back him up with a Mach Punch. After landing, the Chimchar turned to Mike and said, "Mike, that Marshtomp is making this area all wet and muddy! We can't keep battling like this; we've gotta put an end to this!" Any further conversation was cut off when Machoke tried to catch them with a Karate Chop, forcing them to scatter.

After landing, Mike glanced around to take stock of his teammates. Alwin seemed to be holding up fine, seeing as he just knocked out the Fearow and appeared to be handling the Vibrava just fine. Carl was clearly doing fine, seeing as he'd just seen him, and he assumed Ali was doing okay since he couldn't see him anywhere. He soon spotted Helina, seeing that the Shuckle had managed to catch her with a Wrap attack. As if that wasn't bad enough, the Marshtomp was nearby and looked ready to take advantage of her helpless state.

Reacting swiftly, Mike charged up an Aura Sphere and threw it at the Shuckle, the sudden surprise hit causing the Mold Pokémon to throw Helina in his direction. At the same time, the Marshtomp unleashed its Water Gun, which hit the Shuckle instead of Helina. Mike ran over to where Helina landed and helped her to her feet, asking, "Helina, are you okay?"

The Eevee replied, "Yeah, I think so. But I think we need to get away from here. Every time that Marshtomp misses with its Water Gun, another puddle of water appears. And you know I don't mix well with water."

Mike nodded, "Yeah. Let's regroup and- Look out!" They both dashed away in opposite directions at that, the Marshtomp firing a Mud Shot at them. It dashed after them, still firing balls of mud at the two as they dodged while running. Unfortunately, a stray shot ended up hitting Helina in the back and she fell over into one of the puddles of water that the Marshtomp had created. Mike saw this and muttered, "Oh shoot…"

Shortly after landing in the puddle, Helina's body began to twitch involuntarily, her eyes opening wide as she could feel the electricity inside of her beginning to react negatively to the water soaking her fur. All of a sudden, she let out a scream as electricity began discharging from her body, coming out in small bolts that only hit the water at first before beginning to spread beyond the puddle she was in. A stray bolt ended up almost hitting Ali, who faded back to his natural colors and said, "Oh no, she's short-circuiting!"

Mike was about to run and help Helina, but a sudden stray lightning bolt caught his attention. It wasn't headed in his direction, but he noticed the way it was arching and realized that, if it kept going the way it was going, it was going to hit the Pokémon they were protecting! Thankfully, the Pokémon seemed to have seen it too since she jumped out of the bush and dashed away from it just moments before it was burnt to a crisp. She didn't get far, however, due to another bolt hitting the ground just inches in front of her, forcing her to stop. Turning to look in Helina's direction, she saw another bolt of lightning heading straight for her!

With no way to dodge it, the Pokémon squeezed her eyes shut and held one arm in front of her chest while the other one pointed behind her. Mike figured that wouldn't protect her at all, but what happened next surprised him. The bolt of lightning hit her arm, seemingly shocking her, but she didn't cry out in pain. Instead, it seemed like the electricity was flowing through her body, soon exiting out through her other arm. The bolt hit the ground when it exited and then bounced, going behind her into the fog.

After the redirected lightning disappeared into the fog, Mike could've sworn he heard three shouts in the distance, but he was too surprised to pay them any mind. "_What the…? How did she do that?_" he wondered. He then remembered Helina and turned to look in her direction to see her struggling to try to bring her lightning back under her control even though she was still in the water. He dashed towards her and yelled up at Alwin, "Alwin! Get down here and help me with Helina!" Alwin knocked the Vibrava away with a Whirlwind and then did a U-turn, flying in Helina's direction.

As he neared Helina, Mike leapt into the puddle, getting some water on his fur in the process, and grabbed Helina around her midsection. She began struggling in his grip, being so wracked by what was happening to her that she couldn't keep her eyes open. A few smaller stray bolts hit Mike, hurting him but not being enough to get him to release his grip on her. He managed to get her out of the puddle and set her on a dry, green patch of grass. It didn't help her condition, as she kept writhing while shooting off electricity, finally pushing Mike away from her. The Riolu looked over at Alwin, who landed right next to him, and said, "Heal her and help her dry her fur! Carl and I will cover you!"

Alwin saluted, "I'm on it!" While Mike charged towards the Pokémon that were still standing, Alwin turned his attention to Helina and brought his wings together. A yellow sphere soon formed between them, which soon rose up into the air and floated over to Helina, coming into contact with her and melting into her body. The Eevee began to calm down as a yellow outline formed around her, Alwin smiling at this. "Softboiled… It's good for colds and electrical discharges." He then hopped closer to Helina, who had her eyes open and was now looking around frantically as smaller, less powerful bolts shot out of her body much less frequently. He then began flapping his wings in her direction, blow-drying her fur and saying, "Easy, Helina. Just stay calm. You'll be back on your feet in no time."

Mike and Carl, meanwhile, were busy mopping up the rest of the attacking Pokémon, having only Machoke, Vigoroth, and Marshtomp to deal with. Carl got knocked to the ground while dodging a Fury Swipes from Vigoroth, the Wild Monkey Pokémon pulling its arm back afterwards and readying a Slash attack. Carl was quick to leap up from the ground, though, and gave the Vigoroth a concussive kick to the side of the face, knocking it away and throwing off its attack.

During all this, Mike took on the Machoke, dashing around a Karate Chop and hitting it in the back with a Force Palm attack. He then leapt onto its back, poised to attack again, but his attention was redirected when the Marshtomp tried to hit him with a Water Gun. Mike leapt off of Machoke's back, already feeling wet enough for the moment, and summoned some of his Aura to his paws and feet while the Machoke got soaked instead.

The Marshtomp adjusted its aim while still using Water Gun, hoping to hit Mike before he came back down. Mike looked about ready to get swept away by the Water Gun, but when his feet and paws came in contact with the water, it suddenly froze, some of it even freezing in the Marshtomp's mouth! While keeping some of his Aura in his left paw and feet to keep the stream frozen, Mike held back his right arm and readied a Focus Punch as he slid downwards, hitting the Marshtomp right in the face once he was close enough and causing the frozen stream of water to break off of it, though a little bit of frozen water remained inside of its mouth.

Leaping back afterwards, Mike called to Carl, "Carl, get back! I'll take care of the rest of them!" The Chimchar nodded and dashed off to the side while Mike held both of his paws in front of him, gathering his Aura between them. Although it started out strong, his ability to draw his Aura out began to waver as he was getting close to completing the attack. "_Argh… I know this attack takes a lot of energy, but this has never happened before! Why am I falling short all of a sudden? Is it because I'm wet?_" he wondered as he tried to force more of his Aura out.

Suddenly, from behind him, the Pokémon they were protecting cried, "Look out!" Mike's focus wavered for a second as he looked up to see the Vigoroth coming at him with a Focus Punch. The sudden loss of focus caused him to lose his hold on the attack he was forming, causing it to suddenly burst out of his paws in an unexpected way. Instead of coming out as a laser, the attack generated a massive shockwave that sent Mike flying back into a tree near the mystery Pokémon.

While the attack pushed the Riolu back quite a bit, the enemies in the way of the original attack were hit much harder. It hit the Vigoroth and kept going, hitting both the Marshtomp and Machoke yet seemingly not affecting Ali, Carl, Alwin, Helina, or the one they were protecting. The sheer force of the shockwave sent all the remaining attackers flying back before it finally dissipated.

The Pokémon ran over to Mike and worriedly asked, "Are you okay, mister? You hit that tree really hard…"

Mike surprised her with a grin, "Are you kidding?" He shook his head and then easily stood up, dusting himself off as he said, "So I hit a tree after using an attack I didn't expect. No big deal. We're HBMs; we may get hit, but we always get back up like nothing happened." The Pokémon looked up at him with wide eyes at that, clearly amazed by that statement. He then shook his head, "Still, it looks like getting wet when I'm in the middle of fight isn't such a good idea. Note to self: keep a towel on hand."

The other HBMs except for Alwin soon came over, Carl saying, "Man, I've never seen any attack like that before, Mike. What was that?"

Mike replied, "I have no idea. But we'll worry about that later." He then turned to the mystery Pokémon and asked the question that had been on everyone's mind, "Who are you? And if you don't mind me asking, what are you?"

The Pokémon was silent for a moment before she answered, "I… My name is Xaomora. I'm an Oshawott."

Ali asked, "Oshawott? I can't say I've ever heard of that particular Pokémon before."

Xaomora replied, "We're kind of rare around this part of the world. At least that's what my momma told me."

Helina smiled, "Well, you're certainly very cute, Xaomora. And it's a nice to meet a Pokémon like you." She then walked over and placed a paw on the Oshawott's shoulder, asking, "Are you a Water-type?"

Xaomora liked the feeling of the Eevee's paw on her shoulder and replied, "Yes I am." She then looked around at everyone asked, "But… who are all of you?"

Each of the HBMs went around introducing themselves, Alwin showing just before anyone tried to call for him. He revealed that he'd been listening the whole time while he was checking the Pokémon that were down, which caused Mike to ask, "Did you find anything interesting?"

Alwin's face changed to a grim expression as he said, "I'm afraid so. Look what that Machoke was wearing." He held up his left leg, revealing the white bandanna it had been wearing. Mike took it and held it between his paws, his eyes going wide at what he saw. On the front of the bandanna was a blue sun shape with the initials 'TS' printed in blue right above it, forming an upside-down triangle.

The Riolu then darkly said, "The Third Suns…"

At his words, the other HBMs looked shocked, though Carl soon growled, "We should've guessed. Those Pokémon were way too coordinated to be a wild gang."

Ali glanced around as he said, "There could be more of them in this forest somewhere. The crew from the Wigglytuff Guild could be in danger."

Mike nodded, "Yeah…" He then turned to Xaomora and asked, "Xaomora, you said you have a mother, right? Do you know where she is?" Xaomora began to tremble at his words, but she soon shakily lifted her left arm up, pointing to something in the direction she had been chased from. Mike was initially confused, but as he watched the Oshawott tremble, an idea he hoped wasn't true entered his head. He looked over at Helina and gestured for her to follow him. He tried to persuade Xaomora to stay, but she said she wanted to stay with him and Helina. Mike soon relented and told the others to check the other Pokémon until they got back.

Mike, Helina, and Xaomora walked through the fog until they spotted a figure in the distance. As they got closer to it, tears threatened to fall from Xaomora's eyes, making Mike think he was right after all. The three of them soon came upon the figure, a large blue sea lion-like Pokémon with long white whiskers, a rounded beige helmet-like shell that had a spear-like pointed protrusion in the front, and a fin-like splayed tail. It was lying on the ground and didn't appear to be moving.

Xaomora couldn't take it anymore and broke down, sobbing into her arms as Mike and Helina moved to comfort her. In the midst of her sobs, she managed to say, "Those bad Pokémon… They came at momma and me out of nowhere… She pushed me out of the way and told me to run, to get away as fast as I could… I didn't want to leave her, especially after that monkey guy jumped on her, but then those Pokémon came after me and… and…" She then started sobbing again, unable to finish her sentence.

Helina immediately began to hug her while Mike made his way over to Xaomora's mother. He needed to know for sure. He carefully placed a paw on one of her four legs and closed his eyes, focusing his Aura as he began to examine her body. What his Aura showed him almost made him want to retch; clearly Xaomora's mother didn't want to go down without a fight and the Third Sun Pokémon didn't like that, so they decided to make sure she paid for her defiance in the most painful way possible. The numerous wounds across her backside were still fresh; if it wasn't for the fact that they had broken her neck, she might still be alive, however temporarily.

Mike clenched his paw into a fist as he growled, "Those sons of…" He stopped himself as he thought about what to do next. The answer soon came to him and he let his arm fall back to his side. He then turned around and walked back over to Helina and Xaomora, the Oshawott currently crying into the Eevee's shoulder. He spoke, "Xaomora." When she looked up at him with her wet eyes, he continued, "Even if those were regular Pokémon, we can't just leave you alone in this forest. But this is a special case. We're rather familiar with the guys who sent out the Pokémon that attacked you and your mother. Come with us; we can help you get them back. For your mother and all the other Pokémon they could be hurting right now."

At his words, Helina spoke, "Mike… I know you mean well, but she's still a little girl. I know I have no right to talk, considering how young I was when I escaped from my 'situation', and I don't want to leave her alone either, but… This is still the Third Suns we're talking about. Even if they're just remnants, stopping them will be dangerous. Maybe too dangerous for her."

Before either of them could say another word, Xaomora quietly said, "No." They both looked at her at that. Her head was pointing down at the ground, but she soon looked up at Mike with a determined expression, a few tears still running down her cheeks as she said, "I don't care how dangerous it is. If you're going to take them down, then I want in. And I won't be a hindrance to you or the others. I'll train hard… and I'll prove that I can be an HBM too."

**Meanwhile, elsewhere…**

A black, shadow-like Pokémon with a white tuft of hair and a red spiky growth around its neck floated in front of an old computer console, the computer's screen displaying static. After a moment, the Pokémon reached forward with its right hand and pressed a button on the console, causing the static to change to a black screen that said 'Connecting…'

The word soon disappeared, though the rest of the screen remained mostly black, albeit a slightly lighter shade of black. The main difference was that a figure was now displayed on the screen, its face hidden by the black hood it was wearing. The figure soon spoke, "I sense that all is proceeding as planned on your end, my… apprentice."

The Pokémon emotionlessly replied, "Yes, my master."

The figure said, "Excellent. All is going well here as well. Soon, I will cast off this disguise and take my revenge, both in this world and that one. Thanks to you, all of my enemies will meet a swift end for attempting to stand against me."

The Pokémon spoke, "I will not fail you, my master."

The figure replied, "We shall see. What is your contingency plan?"

The Pokémon answered, "It involves the other god. And I do not believe it will be necessary. While there is one who seeks to stop this plan, his companion is lost and without his memories. In addition, it seems someone has followed them to preserve that which they originated from. I see no reason to intervene."

The figure said, "Good. They are not like the ones I seek revenge against; they should be easily taken care of." The figure paused for a moment before saying, "I must cut this meeting short. It appears I have a few matters to take care of." Without another word, the figure cut the transmission, the static returning to the computer screen.

The black Pokémon merely stared ahead at the static, its bright blue eyes appearing to be empty and distant…

* * *

Grovyle, Drake, and Errol looked down the hallway with bated breaths as the sound of clacking footsteps got closer. Soon they could make out the forms of Dusknoir and two Sableye guards in the darkness, the Sableye wearing their usual toothy grins as they came closer. Grovyle and Drake braced themselves, getting ready for whatever was coming, while Errol shrank away from the bars of his cell doors in fear.

Dusknoir came to a stop in front of Grovyle's cell and turned to him, asking, "And how are you doing, Grovyle?"

Grovyle huffed, "Just fine, thank you. Where did you go?"

Dusknoir replied, "I went to tell Master Dialga about our human catch and he ordered me to get whatever I could out of him. Care to join me in interrogating him?" Grovyle swung his head to the side in a dismissive gesture, causing Dusknoir to sigh, "You can only keep this up for so long, Grovyle. It's in your best interest to simply accept that what you did was wrong and ask for forgiveness. It doesn't have to be this hard."

Grovyle growled, "Right. Well, good luck getting anything out of that kid. He's completely unresponsive, probably because of you."

Dusknoir said, "Oh, he'll open up to me. He will if he knows what's good for him."

Grovyle asked, "What do you want from him anyway? He's just some human kid. I've never seen a human before now, but this one certainly doesn't look like anything special."

Dusknoir flatly replied, "He may be able to tell me where I can find the more 'special' ones of his kind. Now be quiet." With that, he moved away from Grovyle's cell and towards the human's cell, where the Sableye were impatiently waiting for him. As he floated in front of the door, he raised a hand and knocked on the door, the human lifting his head up and turning it just enough to see who it was. When he saw it was Dusknoir, the human's eyes immediately became filled with fear and he looked ready to move towards the back of the cell. Dusknoir could tell he wouldn't, though, and used a key to unlock the door. As he opened it, he told the Sableye, "Tie up his hands."

Both Sableye replied, "Yes Master Dusknoir!" Once the door was open enough, they both swarmed inside the cell towards the human, who stood up but still made no effort to move. They soon reached him and used their claws to climb up his clothing, tearing his jeans and jacket in the process. When they reached his torso, they forced his hands together behind his back and one of the Sableye pulled out some rope that they used to tie them together.

After letting go and dropping to the ground, they made him walk over to the open cell doors. Dusknoir calmly waited while they did this and, when they were standing face to face, he told the human, "It is time for you to talk, boy." He then turned and started floating in the direction of the stockade, the Sableye walking behind the human to make sure he followed.

Grovyle, Drake, and Errol watched them pass by in silence, knowing there was nothing they could do at the moment. When they were out of sight, and hopefully out of hearing distance, Errol asked, "What are they going to do to him, Grovyle?"

The wood gecko replied, "By the look on Dusknoir's face, I'm sure he's going to get whatever he can out of that human no matter what. Even if it means he has to force the human to tell him."

Errol gulped, "You mean he might actually hurt him?"

Drake called over, "He won't do that. I'm sure that human won't even last that long, so we'd better take this chance and get out of here before they come back!"

Grovyle was about ready to yell at him for saying something so heartless when an idea came to mind. He called over to the Gabite, "Drake, can you throw me one of your scales?"

Drake asked, "One of my scales? What do you want with my scales?"

Grovyle replied, "I have an idea on how to get out of here. But I'll need something long and narrow to do it. If this works, we might still be able to save that human!"

Drake rolled his eyes at the thought that Grovyle wanted to help the human and started examining his scales. After a minute, he pulled one off and called to Grovyle, "Catch!" He then threw it in the direction that he last heard Grovyle's voice come from. Thankfully, Grovyle hadn't moved much while Drake was checking his scales and managed to catch the scale before it hit the ground. After examining the long, slender part of the scale for a moment, he nodded and moved over to where his cell door's keyhole was. He then grabbed onto the door with his left claw and thrust his right arm out of the cell, turning his claw so the scale in it faced the keyhole. He then got to work, trying to pick the lock.

It took several minutes and Grovyle occasionally had to ask Drake for more scales, but he eventually heard it: the sound of the lock sliding into its unlocked position. Pulling his arm back inside the cell, he gave the door an experimental push and it moved! He then pushed it open all the way, saying, "I'm free!"

Errol cheered, "Way to go, Grovyle! Can you get us out too?"

Grovyle examined the scale in his claw before saying, "I should be able to. Hang on, Errol!"

While he moved in front of the cell door, Drake demanded, "Hey, how come you're setting him free first?"

Grovyle looked back over his shoulder and replied, "Because he asked first." He then set to work on letting Errol go, his task much easier now that he was in front of the lock instead of behind it. A few minutes passed before both Errol and Drake were freed, both of them quickly getting out of their cell as soon as the doors were opened.

Before the three of them could even decide what to do next, a voice called out, "Hey, don't forget about the rest of us! Set us free too!" More voices joined in, all asking the three Pokémon to help them escape from their cells.

Errol asked, "What should we do, guys?"

Drake gave a toothy grin as he said, "Let's start a riot."

In the stockade, meanwhile, Dusknoir's patience was beginning to run thin. Once again, the human was on his knees in front of the Gripper Pokémon, but now his clothes sported many rips and tears due to the group of six Sableye standing around him giving him warning slashes whenever he refused to answer a question. Now that they were running out of clothing to tear, it wouldn't be long before they started moving onto skin…

"You are trying my patience, human. And I'm not particularly fond of anyone who does that. Now tell me, where are your human friends?" Dusknoir growled.

The human looked ready to break due to the angry tone in Dusknoir's voice, but he shook his head after a moment, "I can't tell you! Even if I could, I wouldn't!"

Dusknoir sneered, "Is that right? Well I hope you wanted to get scars at some point in your life, because that's what you're going to have after this. Sableye!" At that, the Sableye around the human held up their claws, the boy flinching as he anticipated the inevitable pain.

But it never came. A rumbling coming from the direction of the prison cells caught everyone's attention. It began to get louder and louder, the sound of distant shouts being heard as well. Suddenly, the doors leading to the cells burst open and all of the Pokémon that were locked up spilled into the room, all of them heading for Dusknoir and the Sableye! They all started leaping on top of or attacking either Dusknoir or the Sableye, whichever was closer. Due to catching them by surprise, Dusknoir and the Sableye soon appeared to be overwhelmed, though they soon started fighting back.

The human managed to stand up and backed up against the wall, inching away from the fight scene as he watched it unfold in front of him. He soon bumped into something and turned, looking down to see that it was Grovyle. Before he could say anything, Grovyle brought out one of his Leaf Blades and cut the ropes binding the human's hands. He then said, "Come on! Let's get out of here while they're keeping Dusknoir and the Sableye busy!" With that, he grabbed the human's right hand and led him in the direction of the door across from the stockade posts, where Drake and Errol were waiting for them. They all then ran through the doors, making their way down a dark hallway, everyone hoping that Grovyle was leading them the right way…

* * *

Hey everybody! Sorry about how late this chapter is. I had to keep up with lots of schoolwork and clear a lot of things up with RandomPerson422 over at dA. I'm assuming it's good since he gave me the green light, so I hope you all think so too.

And hey, for everyone who read "HG&SS Quest", I threw in a few teasers for you. Maybe this will give you an idea of where the sequel is going to be going when I get started on it... soon.

All right, I think I've rambled on enough. If you've got any questions, feel free to ask me.

Oh, and Xaomora belongs to RandomPerson422 by the way.

Music:

Bad Dream or...? - Time of Judgement (Final Fantasy X)

Waking Up - Eiko's Theme (Final Fantasy IX)

Strategy Briefing - Ordon Village (The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess)

In the Forest - Stirring the Forest ~ Evil Forest Theme (Final Fantasy IX)

Protecting Xaomora - Team Galactic Battle! (Super Smash Brothers Brawl)

Aura... What? - Great Battlers (Mega Man Battle Network 3)

Xaomora's Loss and Resolve - Revealed Truth (Final Fantasy X)

Secret Meeting - Ganondorf's Theme (The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time)

Dusknoir's Return - Defense Ministry Exploration (Splinter Cell)

Prison Riot! - Common Fight (Splinter Cell)


	12. Dash for Freedom, Solving the Mystery

"Keep up the pace back there! We're almost out of here!" Grovyle called back over his shoulder as he ran down the dark hallway. Errol was flying close behind him, flapping both sets of wings quickly as he tried to keep up with Grovyle. Drake was a little further back and not far behind him was the human Grovyle had rescued. Out of the three following Grovyle, the human seemed to be having the most trouble keeping up and the wood gecko found himself constantly looking back over his shoulder to make sure they hadn't lost him in the darkness.

Drake yelled, "We're doing fine back here, Grovyle! I just hope this way we're going leads to the exit like you said!"

Grovyle called back, "Don't worry! We should see the exit any second now!" Thankfully, Grovyle turned out to be right. At the end of the hall up ahead, they all saw a shut door that didn't appear to be locked. Upon seeing it, Grovyle used Agility to run faster and rammed his shoulder into the door when he reached it, forcing it open. Outside, Grovyle fell to his knees, taking a moment to catch his breath while Drake and the human did the same. Errol, meanwhile, perched on a nearby rock to rest his wings.

"Way to go, Grovyle! You got us all out of there and Dusknoir didn't even see us!" the Mothim exclaimed.

Grovyle stood up and turned to face Errol, saying, "I seriously doubt that, Errol. Even if he didn't see us escape, I'm sure he knows by now that we weren't part of the prisoners attacking him. He's going to figure out that we escaped sooner or later. And when he does, he's going to come looking for us. There's no doubt in my mind that he will."

The human, who had been silent up until now, stood up straight and made his way over to Grovyle. He then shyly asked, "Um, Grovyle?" The wood gecko turned around and looked up at him, the boy saying, "I just wanted to thank you for going out of your way to save me. That guy… Dusknoir? I was sure he was going to kill me if that riot hadn't occurred and you came to help me. I don't know how I can repay you, but…"

Before he could finish, Drake came over and got between the two, saying, "Here's a better idea: why don't you forget he even helped you at all! Aside from messing with Dusknoir, I don't see any reason why Grovyle would help something like you! There are legends about your kind, you know; you really want to thank Grovyle? Maybe you should go back and let Dusknoir take care of you!"

Grovyle was appalled at the way Drake was treating the human, so he grabbed the Gabite by the shoulder and turned him around, saying, "That's enough out of you, Drake! I don't when you developed this attitude of yours, but you'd better do something to keep it in check! I knew you could be a loudmouth at times, but this outright display of hostility is something I've never seen before! What is your problem?"

Drake growled, "What, are you kidding me? You've read the legends, Grovyle! They talk about what his kind are capable of! Sure, he might've been weak when he was cornered, but who knows what he'll do now?"

Grovyle retorted, "Legends are nothing but fiction, Drake! Someone tells them, someone else hears and remembers them, and everybody passes them on! Reality isn't so straightforward! If there really are other humans out there, some of them must be good!"

Drake replied, "So? If they're so hard to find, then there's a reason for why most Pokémon only know about them through legends! Doesn't that seem interesting!"

Grovyle answered, "Yes, about as interesting as it being hard to find Dragon-type Pokémon like you! I fail to see your point!"

Before Drake could continue, the two were suddenly gripped by a telekinetic force and pulled away from each other. They both looked over to see Errol's eyes glowing purple, a sign that he was using Confusion on them. Before letting them go, he said, "Cut it out, guys! Who cares about some stupid legend right now! This is hardly the time or place to be arguing about something so pointless!" At that, both of them seemed to remember where they were and what they were attempting to do.

After Errol let them go, Drake gave his last word on the matter, "You can trust him if you want to, Grovyle, but you know better than to trust just anyone in this world. If you ever do meet another human, you'd better make sure you know what you're doing or you could end up making a big mistake."

Grovyle replied, "And it will be my mistake to make." The Gabite glared at him for a moment before stomping off down the path while Grovyle and Errol watched him.

Errol soon got off the rock he was perched on, flapping his wings and going over to Grovyle, asking, "Shouldn't we go after him?"

Grovyle nodded, "Yes. You can go ahead. I'll be right behind you." The Mothim looked at him for a moment, worried, before fluttering off after Drake. Grovyle then turned to the human, who had moved back near the door and was now sitting with his back against a nearby rock. Grovyle walked over to him and placed a claw on his shoulder. When the human turned his head to look at him, he said, "Come on, let's get out of here."

The human murmured, "But… that Gabite said…"

Grovyle cut him off, "Ignore him. I don't know what his problem is. I actually haven't seen him in a long time. But it doesn't matter. I'm not leaving you here alone. Now let's go; just stay close to me in case anything happens." The human looked at him for a moment before nodding and moving to stand up. Grovyle continued looking at him the whole time, having taken notice of the dull shine in the boy's eyes. "_Could it be…? No. I can't assume something like that so soon,_" he thought to himself as they began running down the path, trying to catch up with Drake and Errol.

They eventually reached the entrance to Chasm Cave, where they found Errol and Drake waiting for them near the Kangaskhan Rock. As soon as Drake saw the human with Grovyle, he asked, "You're actually bringing that oversized, walking scratching post with you?"

Grovyle glared at him, "That's enough, Drake. He's escaping just like we are; it makes more sense for us to stick together. I'm going to make sure he gets away safely whether you like it or not. If you can't handle that, you are welcome to escape by yourself. There's no point in sticking together if all we're going to do is argue."

Drake snorted, "Fine, I'll stop talking about it… for now. But as soon as we're out of this and the conditions are favorable for you, he's going back to where he came from. We can't spend all of our time protecting something that can't even fight back when we're on the run." With that, he turned around and walked into Chasm Cave.

Errol looked from the entrance to Grovyle, saying, "I honestly don't understand what he's getting all worked up about."

Grovyle replied, "I don't either. But like you said, this is hardly the time to be worrying about something so trivial. Let's get moving; I have a feeling we're already being pursued by Dusknoir and his Sableye." With that, Errol, Grovyle, and the human followed after Drake, while somewhere behind them in the darkness, a single red eye and six pairs of gleaming blue eyes followed after them…

* * *

Piplup followed Chimchar through the fog, the fire monkey's flame making it easier to keep track of his position. "Are you sure you heard something in this direction, Chimchar?" the former human asked.

"I'm positive, Piplup. It sounded like something big was happening, like a fight. But with all this fog, I have no idea how close we actually are to where it was coming from," Chimchar replied.

"I wonder who'd be fighting out here in the middle of a forest. I hope none of our friends got involved or hurt," Piplup said, more to himself than Chimchar.

They continued onward through the fog, eventually coming to a stop when they heard a series of groans coming from somewhere nearby. "You hear that, Piplup? Sounds like someone might be hurt," Chimchar said.

While Chimchar looked around, Piplup looked straight ahead and noticed two figures approaching. "Never mind that for now. Look!" he said, pointing up ahead. They both tensed up, anticipating an attack, but relaxed when the figures were revealed to be Carl and Xaomora. "Carl, is that you?" Piplup asked.

The other Chimchar grinned, "None other. Alwin thought he heard someone out this way, so he sent us to investigate."

Chimchar looked at the Oshawott that was clutching Carl's arm, slightly hiding behind him, and asked, "Who's this?"

Carl looked over at Xaomora before he looked back at Team Poképals and answered, "This is Xaomora. She's an Oshawott, a species of Pokémon that's supposedly rare in this part of the world. Mike offered her a place on the team and, well, it didn't take much to convince her to join, let's just say." He then looked back at Xaomora and said, "Don't worry, Xaomora. Piplup and Chimchar are our friends. You can trust them."

Xaomora nervously let go of Carl, stepping away from him and taking a step towards Team Poképals. "Uh, hello, Piplup and Chimchar. It's… very nice to meet you both."

Piplup replied, "Likewise, Xaomora. I've never met an Oshawott before. At least I don't think I have." After a moment, he asked, "Can I come closer?"

Xaomora realized he was trying not to make her feel any more uncomfortable than she already appeared to be and nodded, "Yes." After hearing that, Piplup walked a little closer and started talking to her.

While they were talking, Chimchar went over to Carl and said, "I thought I heard what sounded like fighting coming from somewhere up ahead. Do you know anything about that, Carl?"

Carl replied, "Oh, you heard that? Makes sense with all this fog. Yeah, we got caught up in a big fight with a… specialized gang. But we took care of them no problem. We actually met Xaomora while she was running from those guys." He then leaned a little closer to Chimchar and whispered, "She's a little shaken up by the whole ordeal, but it looks like she's starting to feel a little better in Piplup's presence, like Mike thought she would."

Chimchar glanced over at Xaomora and Piplup at that. It was true; Xaomora did seem to be a little more cheerful in the presence of a fellow Water-type. He then turned back to Carl and asked, "Hey, where is the rest of the team? How come you two are here by yourselves?"

Carl explained, "When Alwin heard you coming, Mike told me to keep you guys from coming too close, just in case the area was still dangerous. He also said to bring Xaomora with me because he thought being around Piplup would be good for her. It took a bit of convincing to get her to come with me; we just met her and she's already attached to Mike and Helina. Anyway, Mike and the rest of the team are searching the area for any other gang members that might be hiding out. Xaomora and I are here to check in on how your search has been going. …So, any progress?"

Chimchar shook his head, "No. We haven't found any clues that could point us in the direction of Fogbound Lake or any way to raise the fog. I hope the other guild members are having better luck than we are."

The two Chimchar then glanced over at Piplup and Xaomora, the two deeply immersed in their conversation. "So Xaomora, you live here in Foggy Forest, right? What's it like?" Piplup asked.

Xaomora replied, "Oh, well, it's certainly not boring. After all, anything can come leaping out at you from anywhere. But it's not all bad; since anything can come at you, I've gotten rather good at using my scalchop to defend myself." She hopped back and pulled the seashell on her torso off, making several slashes at the air with it. She then put it back and asked, "Hey, you said you guys were here as part of an expedition or something, right?" When Piplup nodded, she said, "I know where there's something really interesting in this forest! I'm not exactly sure, but it could be something that you're looking for!"

Piplup asked, "Really?"

Chimchar and Carl came over, Carl asking, "Do you know where that is, Xaomora?"

Xaomora hesitated for a moment before admitting, "Well, not exactly. But I know it's near the deepest part of the forest. If we go deeper, we're bound to find it!"

Chimchar gasped, "Oh! Will you come with us, Xaomora?" The Oshawott nodded happily, and with that, the four of them set off deeper into the forest, going around the site of Team HBM's big battle. Chimchar was so excited at the thought of discovering something that he completely forgot about the groans he had heard earlier.

**Nearby…**

Skuntank, Koffing, and Zubat all lay on their sides atop a burnt patch of grass, each of them looking like they had had a bad experience with a bug zapper. "Hey Chief? Where are those wimps from Team Poképals? Didn't they hear us?" Koffing groaned.

"Evidently not. I don't hear them anymore. Argh…" Skuntank grunted as he attempted to climb to his feet, managing to get up and stay up after a moment of wobbling.

Koffing and Zubat couldn't muster up enough strength to even attempt to get off the ground, so Skuntank hobbled over to them and used his tail to place them on his back. "Ugh… What hit us, anyway? We weren't even doing anything…" Zubat moaned.

While attempting to walk without falling over, Skuntank muttered, "That bolt of lightning… Did it really come from that Eevee…? How'd she know we were over here…? I thought we were completely out of sight…" He then shook his head and focused on the path ahead, thinking to himself, "_If she wants to play hard to get, that's fine by me. As soon as I can find some Oran Berries, we'll take care of those Poképals and whatever her team is called, then make off with her and the treasure. Just gotta stay back until they do all the work for us…_"

**Elsewhere in Foggy Forest…**

Mike was leading Helina, Ali, and Alwin through the forest, his eyes closed as he scanned the surrounding forest with his Aura for other members of the Third Suns while Alwin kept an eye out from above. So far, they hadn't found anything, but they weren't going to let that get to them. If there were more Pokémon allied with the Third Suns in the area, then their new friends were going to be in danger. And they weren't going to let that happen.

Helina glanced over at Mike and asked, "Anything yet?"

Mike shook his head, "Nothing. Not even any local Pokémon. That could be because of the Pokémon we just took out, but I don't know. We have to make sure, though."

Ali nodded, "Right. If what happened back in Iraq pulled them here too, then there's no telling where they could be hiding out."

Alwin, having been listening in on the conversation his teammates were having, swooped down above their heads and said, "We should probably start searching for potential hideouts once we're done here. What do you think, Mike?"

The Riolu opened his eyes and replied, "Good idea. We've already got some strategic locations mapped out; we might be able to put them to good use while we're searching."

Helina looked back at Mike worriedly and asked, "Mike, do you want Xaomora to come with us while we're searching? She must have some kind of special ability if she could redirect my lightning like you said she did, but that's about all we know about her right now. We don't know how she fights or anything like that; I'm worried she might not be ready if we come across an enemy stronghold."

Mike glanced back at her and replied, "I know, Helina, but I don't know what else we can do. We can't ask Piplup and Chimchar to take care of her while we're away, even if she could get some training in, since there's no guarantee that we'll be able to stop by Treasure Town in between missions."

Ali suggested, "Let's just let the rest of the expedition play out, Mike. I'm sure we'll get a chance to see what Xaomora can do before we're done here and we can talk with Team Poképals afterwards to see what they think. That's about all we can do now."

Mike nodded, "That's a good idea, Ali."

Helina suddenly perked up and said, "Hey, I think I heard something up ahead!"

At that, Alwin flew ahead of the team, calling back, "I'll go check it out!" With that, he flew upwards so that he would be harder to see, Mike, Helina, and Ali running after him.

**Later, in the deepest part of Foggy Forest**

As Xaomora led them through the fog, Piplup, Chimchar, and Carl began to hear the sound of flowing water up ahead, sounding as though it was cascading down a waterfall. They soon got close enough to see that there were waterfalls all around the area they were in, coming from somewhere above them. "Wow! Look at all of these waterfalls! It's incredible!" Chimchar exclaimed.

Piplup asked, "Xaomora, are we getting closer?"

The Oshawott replied, "This is the place, Piplup! I wasn't sure before because of all the fog, but I remember all of these waterfalls. We're definitely in the right place."

Carl glanced around as he said, "You're right, Xaomora. This is pretty deep."

Xaomora nodded, "Yeah." She then pointed up ahead, "The thing I was talking about is over there. Come on!" She then began walking again, Piplup, Chimchar, and Carl following close behind.

They didn't get far when a familiar face popped out of the fog, saying, "Hey, hey, hey!" Xaomora was shocked by the sudden appearance of Corphish and ran behind Piplup and Carl, shivering.

"Corphish! What are you doing here?" Chimchar asked.

"I wandered out here while I was looking for clues. Did you guys find anything yet? And who's that with you?" the Ruffian Pokémon wondered.

Piplup shook his head, "We haven't found anything yet."

Carl patted Xaomora on the head as he said, "And this is Xaomora. She's an Oshawott and the newest member of our team. She just went through a bad experience, so she's a little nervous right now."

Corphish hung his head as he realized he must've scared the poor girl with his entrance, saying, "Hey, hey, hey. Sorry about that…"

Xaomora said, "No no, it's okay. You just… startled me." Piplup could tell she was trying her best to be brave despite whatever had happened to her. He couldn't help but feel sympathy for the Oshawott because of her efforts.

Corphish, now feeling a little better about surprising Xaomora, scuttled over and introduced himself, offering a pincer in greeting, which she shook. He then asked, "So what brought you four out here?"

Carl replied, "Xaomora wanted to show us something interesting. She said it was in this area."

Corphish said, "Oh, then maybe it's the same thing I just found!" He then turned and pointed a pincer forward, asking, "Is it that it?"

Xaomora walked up next to him to get a better look before saying, "Yes, that's it!" Everyone walked forward, getting closer to the object in question. As they got closer, they realized that it was a large, slightly tipped over statue of a Pokémon that had claws on its hands, spikes along the sides of its head, body, and tail, and four dozer-like blades on the end of its tail.

Chimchar exclaimed, "Whoa! What is this?"

Xaomora glanced over at him and shrugged, "I don't know, I'm afraid."

Corphish shook his head, "Me neither. It seems to be a statue of a Pokémon."

Piplup wondered, "Yeah, but what kind of Pokémon is it?"

Corphish replied, "I've never seen a Pokémon like it before."

Carl put a hand on his chin as he said, "I might have. It looks familiar to me, anyway."

Piplup looked over at him and asked, "Really? Any names come to mind?"

Carl started to look frustrated, running his hand back and forth across his chin as he said, "Ah… It's on the tip of my tongue, but I can't get it out…"

Suddenly, they heard Mike ask, "Were you thinking of the name 'Groudon'?" Everyone glanced to their left to see Mike, Helina, Ali, and Alwin approaching them. They all looked like they had been in another fight since they looked beat up and Mike and Ali looked a little wet.

Xaomora ran over to them, crying, "Mike! Helina!" She hugged both of them, the two HBMs hugging her back.

Carl also came over, grinning, "Yeah, that's the word that wouldn't come out. What happened? Did you find anything?"

Ali nodded, "Yeah. We ended up running into some old friends, especially one who knows us very well. He was still mad about what we did back there."

Carl winced, "Ooh, him? Did you manage to take him out?"

Alwin landed next to Carl and said, "Yeah, we managed. I wish I could've been more help, but you know me. I'd rather get into an aerial battle with 15 other Pokémon than get wet. I like being able to fly; I can't do that so well when I'm wet."

Piplup, Chimchar, and Corphish came over, Piplup asking, "Wait, what's going on? Did something bad happen to you guys?"

Mike replied, "No, nothing too severe. At least not something you should have to worry about… yet."

Chimchar looked nervous at that. "Yet?" he repeated.

Corphish asked, "You wanna tell us what happened? Maybe we could help out before it becomes a problem, hey, hey?"

Helina shook her head, "Never mind that right now. Have you found any clues pointing to Fogbound Lake's location?"

Carl said, "Well, Xaomora thought this Groudon statue might have a clue. We were just about to check it out when you showed up."

Mike said, "Well, let's check it out, then." Nodding, everyone walked back over to the statue, looking it over carefully in case something was hidden inside of it.

Chimchar, while he was looking at the side that slanted upwards, noticed some writing on the side and said, "Hey, it looks like there's something written here!"

Everyone moved closer to Chimchar at that, Carl asking, "Can you tell what it says?"

Chimchar nodded, "It's in footprint runes. Let's see… 'Reignite the life that burned within Groudon… Then the sky shall blaze with the sun's heat… The path to treasure will be revealed.'" He then realized what he just read and said, "'The path to treasure'? That's awesome!"

Piplup asked, "Do you think it's referring to the treasure of Fogbound Lake?"

Chimchar turned to him and replied, "I think so! This statue might be the secret to finding the lake!"

Corphish got excited at that, exclaiming, "Hey, hey, hey! Y-you think so? Hey, hey! Now that's a mystery we've got to solve!"

Chimchar looked back at the inscription and said, "This part about 'the life that burned within Groudon.' What's that about?"

Ali asked, "How are we supposed to reignite the life that was in this statue? I assume we can't just breathe fire on it."

Everyone thought about that before Chimchar said, "I know! Touch the statue, Piplup! Maybe you'll see something!"

Everyone else looked at them with confused looks as Piplup muttered, "Uh, yeah. I was just thinking about doing that." He then looked over at the statue and walked over to it, placing his wings on the inscription. Almost immediately, he began to feel a dizzying sensation wash over him. "Here it comes…" he murmured to himself.

_**Piplup's mind**_

"_That's it! It's here! It's here!"_

Piplup blinked as the sensation seemed to go away. "_Wh-what was that? Whose voice was that?_" he wondered to himself. Suddenly, the feeling came back. "_Uh, again? So soon after the first one?_" he thought.

_**Piplup's mind**_

"_I see! Place the Drought Stone in Groudon's heart. That lifts the fog! Very well done! Good job, partner!"_

Piplup backed away from the statue, thinking, "_What did I just pick up on? That was different from what I usually see. I didn't see anything; I only heard a voice… But whose voice was that? It's nobody from the guild or Treasure Town, so why does it sound familiar?_"

Chimchar shook him from his thoughts by asking, "Are you okay, Piplup? Did you see anything?"

Piplup looked back at him before looking back at the statue, thinking, "_What did that voice say? 'Place the Drought Stone in Groudon's heart'? That lifts the fog? Drought Stone… Wait! Could it be that stone Chimchar found earlier?_"

Mike tapped Piplup on the shoulder, saying, "Hey! A Poké for your thoughts?"

Piplup turned to him and said, "Oh, right. Uh, I think I have an idea what it means. Is there anything unusual about this statue's chest?"

Carl spoke up, "Hang on, I'll check." He hopped onto the statue's base and maneuvered around to Groudon's front. After looking up at it for a moment, he called back, "Looks like there's a small hollow in the statue's chest. Like something might fit in there."

Ali looked back at Piplup and asked, "Is that what you wanted to hear?"

Piplup replied, "I think so." He then turned to Chimchar and asked, "Chimchar, remember that stone you found back near the base camp?"

Chimchar nodded, "Uh-huh. What about it?"

Piplup explained, "I think it has something to do with lifting the fog. Can you see if it'll fit in that indentation that Carl found?"

Chimchar smiled, "Okay!" He reached into the Treasure Bag and pulled out the red stone. He then walked over to the front of the statue and handed it up to Carl, who climbed up the front of the statue and stuck it in the hole. He then leapt off, landing next to Chimchar.

Suddenly, the statue's eyes lit up red and the ground started to shake! "Whoa! What the heck?" Alwin exclaimed.

"Quick! Everyone get back!" Mike yelled. Everyone dashed away from the statue as it began to glow white, eventually enveloping the area in a white light. Everyone threw themselves to the ground, waiting for whatever was happening to stop.

And just as suddenly as it happened, it stopped. The shaking stopped and the white light faded. Corphish slowly opened an eye and looked around, noticing that things were clearer now. "Hey, hey! The fog is gone!" he exclaimed.

Everyone else opened their eyes and pushed themselves up off the ground, seeing that there didn't seem to be any sort of danger. "Wow… It really worked," Piplup murmured.

Helina glanced around and asked, "So… where's the lake at?"

Chimchar glanced up at the waterfalls that were coming down from above and gasped, "Whoa! Hey, look up, everyone!"

Everyone did as they were told and were surprised by what they saw, mirroring Chimchar's reaction to the sight. "Hey, hey! What is that?" Corphish exclaimed.

Carl spoke, "That's gotta be where the lake is. That's what's feeding these waterfalls. That's what the fog was hiding from other explorers. We've just been walking around in circles all this time."

Corphish looked over at him and said, "Hey, hey! So you're saying… Fogbound Lake is up there? Hey, hey, hey?"

Mike nodded, "I think he's right. It would take an awful lot of water for these waterfalls to keep flowing like this. A lake would probably have enough, especially if it was a big lake."

Ali spoke, "Well, let's not just stand here gawking! Let's find a way to get up there!"

Corphish nodded, "You're right! I'll head back to the base camp and let the rest of the guild know! You guys go on ahead!" With that, he turned and scuttled back towards the forest.

Helina turned to Xaomora and asked, "Xaomora, are you going to be okay coming with us to get up to Fogbound Lake?"

The Oshawott nodded, "Yes! I'm really excited now! Let's get a move on!"

Mike grinned, "All right, then! Let's move out!"

As the group started walking away from the Groudon statue, a familiar voice called out from behind them, "Hold it right there!" Everyone stopped and turned around to see that it was Skuntank, Koffing, and Zubat. They were all seemed to be a little less shaky now, but they still looked a little burnt.

Piplup asked, "You guys?" Looking them over a bit more, he added, "What happened to you?"

Carl grinned, "Good question! Did you guys tick off a Charmander or something?"

Skuntank growled, "Very funny. Your little foxy friend apparently thought it was funny too when she decided to let her electricity run wild."

Helina smirked, "Oh, did I hit you three by accident? I'm sorry. If I'd known you were there, I would've made sure to give you a real heart-stopping shock."

Koffing said, "Whoa-ho-ho! This kitty has claws, eh? Well, how do you like this? You solved the mystery, so none of you are of any more use to us!"

Zubat snickered, "Heh-heh-heh. You might've cooked us, but thanks to you, we'll swipe the treasure anyway!"

Chimchar growled, "So that's why you joined the expedition! You planned this all along!"

Koffing laughed, "Whoa-ho-ho! You expected anything less?"

Skuntank smirked, "Chaw-haw-haw! Sorry to say it, but we can't have any of you mucking about anymore. So we'll just get rid of you right here."

Mike grinned, "Yeah? You three and what army? You obviously know what we're capable of, especially when faced with a large group. Not to mention we've got Team Poképals on our side. What makes you think you three stand any better chance?"

Skuntank asked, "Have your 'allies' bothered to tell you how they lost to us last time, even with another team on their side?"

Carl growled, "They didn't have to; I saw everything from up in the trees in Apple Woods!"

Skuntank smirked, "Then you must know that they were destroyed by our noxious gas special combo!"

Alwin asked, "You really think that's going to work a second time, especially when you're blabbing about it right now?"

Skuntank growled, "Why you…! Enough talk! Take this! Me and Koffing's noxious gas special comb-"

Suddenly, they all heard Wigglytuff's voice coming from behind Team Skull, crying, "Waah! Wait! Wait for me!" Almost immediately afterwards, a Perfect Apple bounced off of Skuntank's head, landing in front of the Groudon statue.

"Wh-what?" Zubat asked.

Wigglytuff suddenly bowled into Team Skull, knocking them up into the air as he sang, "Perfect Apple! Perfect Apple!" He kept going until he reached the apple, picking it up and hugging it while singing, "I finally caught you! My Perfect Apple!"

Team Poképals and Team HBM stared in disbelief while Wigglytuff danced in place for a few more moments. Mike soon regained his composure and smirked, "Wow, is that Wigglytuff or a bowling ball? Because I could've sworn I heard the sound of pins flying just now."

Wigglytuff suddenly stopped dancing and put on a teary face, saying, "If my Perfect Apple went away, I would… I would… *sniffle*" At that point, he seemed to snap out of it and looked around, seeing Team Poképals and Team HBM standing together and Team Skull climbing up off of the ground. "Everyone's all together! And we have a new friend! Yay, yay!" he cheered, noticing Xaomora in the group.

Xaomora giggled, "I like him. He's funny!"

Skuntank stuttered, "G-Guildmaster… Wh-what are you doing here?"

Wigglytuff turned to him and asked, "Huh? What am I doing? I was taking a walk in the forest. Then my Perfect Apple went rolling and rolling away from me. So I ran and ran and ran, and here I am." He then turned back to Piplup and Chimchar and said, "Oh yes! You two shouldn't be dawdling here, should you?"

Piplup asked, "Huh?"

Wigglytuff explained, "You have a job to do, don't you? To explore the forest, right? Go on then, off you go."

Carl asked, "What? But Wigglytuff…"

Wigglytuff cut him off, "Oh fine, you can go along with them. Anything for my friends!"

Chimchar spoke, "But Guildmaster…"

Wigglytuff began dancing in place again, saying, "You don't want to listen to your Guildmaster? Boooo! Boooo! Hurry, get exploring!"

Piplup said, "Uh, right. We'll… get right on that. I guess we'd better get going." Mike and the other HBMs looked like they wanted to argue about it some more, but one look at Wigglytuff told them that they might as well be arguing with a brick wall… that can dance and sing. So they decided to drop it for now, all of them walking to the right of the Groudon statue to start looking for a way up to Fogbound Lake.

Wigglytuff called after them, "Good luck!" He then started dancing again, saying, "Oh, I hope we get some good news soon! La la la la! La la la! La la! La la la! La la!" While he was dancing, Skuntank, Koffing, and Zubat tried to sneak past him behind his back, having seen and heard enough. Unfortunately, Wigglytuff turned around and spotted them. He asked, "Hm? What are you doing, friends?"

Skuntank stuttered, "Um, we were thinking that we should go explore as well, Guildmaster…"

Wigglytuff gasped dramatically, "Oh?" He then shook his head, "That's all right! I can't trouble my friends like that! We'll let Team Poképals and their friends do the exploring. Let's wait for their report." He then turned back around and resumed dancing and singing.

Zubat flew over next to Skuntank and whispered, "Chief, this is getting really weird…"

Koffing muttered, "Those losers are going to beat us to the prize if we don't do something. What'll we do?"

Skuntank grumbled, "We have to do something. We have no choice. We'll take down Wigglytuff right now. Then we'll chase down Team Poképals and Team HBM!"

Zubat glanced over at Wigglytuff as he whispered, "But do you think it's all right?"

Koffing nodded, "Yeah. Wigglytuff is, like, creepy."

Skuntank whispered back, "Don't worry about it. He's no big deal. Besides… Rumor has it Wigglytuff has an unbelievably precious treasure."

Zubat spoke almost loud enough for Wigglytuff to hear, "Oh, really? Treasure?"

Skuntank nodded, "That's right. I was planning on mugging him for it anyway, so this is a good opportunity." He then turned to Koffing and whispered, "Hey, Koffing. Prepare for the noxious gas combo." Zubat then flew back while Skuntank and Koffing took a few steps towards Wigglytuff. "Wigglytuff is really going to get it! No hard feelings… But the great, famous explorer Wigglytuff… Is finished! Chaw-haw!" Skuntank mumbled.

**Soon…**

"Hey! Look everyone! There's a big fissure over there!" Chimchar called. Everyone walked in the direction Chimchar had indicated, passing several pools of bubbling water as they approached an opening in the base of the rock holding up Fogbound Lake.

Mike closed his eyes and quickly scanned the interior of the fissure with his Aura before opening them and saying, "Looks like it goes all the way to the top. Good work, Chimchar!" he said.

Piplup looked around the sides of the opening and said, "Look at all that steam. It must be really hot in there."

Carl nodded, "Sure looks like it. Guess you and Xaomora are going to get a chance to shine in there, Piplup."

Helina said, "If the heat doesn't dry them up first, that is. I know they'll be good against any Fire-types in there, but they'll be using up a lot more water than the rest of us." She then addressed both Piplup and Xaomora, "Are you both going to be okay in there?"

Piplup nodded, "Don't worry about me. I'll make sure to ration my Water-type attacks."

Xaomora said, "I'll be okay too. I don't know a lot of long distance attacks, after all. I prefer using my scalchop for close-range battling." As if to prove her point, she pulled the shell on her chest off and tossed it up, catching it when it came back down. As soon as she grabbed it, it began to glow brightly, a light blue aura soon forming around it. She then swung it at the air, an energy blade forming behind it.

Mike whistled, "Whoa! What do you call that move?"

Xaomora replied, "Razor Shell. It's my most powerful move."

Mike nodded, "I see. Okay, I trust you'll be okay in there." He then addressed Piplup and Xaomora, "Just to be on the safe side, both of you stay close and give a signal if you start to feel like you're going to collapse, okay?" They both nodded at that.

Ali spoke, "You know, as much as I hate water right now, I can't help but be glad we have a Water-type on our team now. Besides all the Fire-types we're about to find, having someone who can breathe underwater can easily be a big help. Especially if we were to get trapped hundreds of feet below the surface of the ocean. Again."

Mike replied, "I'm sure we all feel the same way, Ali. You weren't the only one there, after all."

That comment reminded Piplup of something he had been meaning to ask. "Hey Mike?" When the Riolu turned to look at him, he asked, "What was Skuntank talking about? Was he talking about that big fight that Chimchar heard earlier? And what's this whole thing about getting trapped underwater?"

Mike considered each question carefully before replying, "Listen, we should probably get moving through this cave, but we'll tell you what we can on the way up. It's a pretty long story after all. However, we'll only tell you if you and Chimchar will agree not to tell anyone from the guild about this just yet. If anyone should be the bearers of bad news, it should be us."

Both Piplup and Chimchar looked at each other before they both nodded. "Okay. We promise not to tell anyone until you do," Chimchar said.

Mike nodded, "Good. You guys have been great so far and I really think we can trust you. Don't blow it, okay?" They both nodded again.

Carl spoke up, "Well, now that we're all good, shall we?"

Chimchar said, "Yeah! I'm really excited about this!"

Xaomora nodded, "Me too!" The feeling began to spread to everyone else as they walked in through the opening in the rock, beginning the climb up to the top.

**Meanwhile…**

Skuntank and Koffing continued to stare at Wigglytuff, neither one of them making a move. "Psst… Hey Chief! What's going on? Something wrong?" Zubat whispered.

Koffing turned to Skuntank and whispered, "Chief… Hey, Chief… You've been staring him down for how long now…? C'mon… let's you and I give him a double dose of the ol' noxious gas…"

Skuntank growled, "Shhh! Shut your yap!"

Wigglytuff looked confused. "Dear friends! What's wrong? You've been making such scary faces at me!" he said cheerfully.

Skuntank muttered, "Bah… This guy's tough… Really tough…"

Wigglytuff suddenly exclaimed, "I get it! You're trying to make me laugh with silly faces! I bet I can make you laugh too!" He then grabbed his face and began pulling on it, making funny noises as he did.

Koffing grimaced and whispered to Skuntank, "C'mon, Chief…! I can't take this… This whole weird scene is freaking me out…"

Skuntank sighed, "Okay, then… This isn't working, and we're out of options…" He then called, "Hey, Wigglytuff!"

Wigglytuff asked, "Whatiswhatiswhatis… What is it?"

Skuntank replied, "Hey, no hard feelings, but… You're going down! Take this! A noxious-gas special! Straight from me and Koffing!" The two of them then sprayed Wigglytuff with their combo, the purple cloud enveloping the Guildmaster…

* * *

*sigh* Exams last week and two finals coming up this week really took up a lot of my time. I'm glad I finally got this finished and approved.

Uh, yeah. Just kind of a cooldown after last chapter. Next chapter will be the last for the expedition as well as the last Grovyle will be seeing of the Dark Land for a while. Hopefully his story will start to pick up afterwards.

I could fill this space with a bunch of things I want to mention... but I won't. Good night.


	13. Treasure of the Lake, Escape

"Are you serious? These guys have, er, had an underwater base?" Chimchar asked, incredulous. Currently, he, Piplup, and Team HBM were sitting around a Kangaskhan Rock that separated the lower part of Steam Cave from the upper part as Mike recounted some of his team's recent adventures. The Riolu fully intended to honor what he had said outside of the cave, but the cave's inhabitants had kept him from doing so until now, not taking kindly to their intrusion and forcing them to fight their way up. Thankfully, they had managed to slip away a short while ago and were now resting before they continued up to the top.

"Hard to believe, isn't it? But it's the truth; the Third Suns had set up shop far below the surface of the ocean and we woke up there. That was already a bad thing to wake up to, but then we found out that Teuta 'our old friend' Hajrizi was there," Mike said.

"Who's that?" Piplup asked.

"He's a Swampert, something of a leader for the Third Suns' troops. We'd had a scuffle with him before; he was probably looking to get revenge on us after we woke up," Carl said.

"Thank you, Carl," Mike said, nodding at him. He then turned back to Piplup and Chimchar and said, "Suffice to say, he didn't get a chance to do whatever he was planning, either with us or that base. Basically, we took it out and managed to escape to the surface. We managed to trap him alone behind one of the water-tight doors in the base, but we all knew that wouldn't delay him for long. We knew that it would only be a matter of time before he came back. It turns out this is his new front; he's centralized his forces in the Foggy Forest and the surrounding areas."

Chimchar looked nervous at that, asking, "Does that mean the expedition is in danger?"

Alwin spoke up, "It shouldn't be now. We ran into him before we met up with you guys at the Groudon statue and sent him packing. He was about as angry as an Ursaring that had had her baby stolen from her when he saw us."

Piplup asked, "If he's operating around here, does that mean he's got more… underlings?"

Mike nodded, "I'm afraid so. What you guys heard earlier was probably us fighting with his troops. And, well…" He sighed as he pressed his paw against his head, "Something positive did come out of all that, but I don't think it makes up for any of the negatives."

Chimchar asked, "What do you mean?"

Helina sighed, "It's because of his troops that we met Xaomora. I'm glad we met her, obviously, but it would've been better if we'd gotten there before they got to her mother."

Carl added, "Mike said it looked like her mother did something to anger the Third Suns. Xaomora made a break for it before they could grab her and she managed to get away thanks to our timely arrival. Unfortunately, Xaomora's mother was left to fend for herself against several merciless foes while we were busy helping Xaomora. I don't think I need to go any farther than that."

Piplup and Chimchar looked over at Xaomora sympathetically, the Oshawott moving over to Helina and snuggling up next to her. Piplup murmured, "Xaomora… They did the worst thing possible, didn't they…?"

The Oshawott heard him and nodded sadly, "Y-yes. After Mike and the rest of the team found and saved me, I started looking for any kind of movement from my mother. I wanted to believe that she was alive, but it was all too much."

Everyone was silent after that, but the silence was soon broken by a loud, "GRROOOOOOH…!"

Everyone's head snapped up at that, looking around the room."What was that?" Chimchar asked.

Carl raised an eyebrow, "Sounded like it came from up ahead."

Piplup added, "Not to mention big."

Mike stood up and said, "We'll finish this up later. It shouldn't be too much farther to the top, so let's keep moving." Everyone nodded and stood up, moving towards the passage past the Kangaskhan Rock.

As they followed Team HBM, Chimchar looked over at Piplup and asked, "Are you feeling okay, Piplup?"

Piplup replied, "Yeah, it's just… Ever since we entered the Foggy Forest, I've been getting this feeling like I've been here before."

Chimchar asked, "Really? What do you think that means?"

Piplup shrugged, "Maybe it means I have been here before and I just don't remember. If that's true, then maybe I met Uxie and had my memory erased."

Chimchar said, "Hmm… Well, now we have just one more reason to get to the top! We have to meet Uxie and find out what really happened!" Piplup nodded in agreement.

Helina, who was listening in on the conversation along with the rest of the HBMs, moved up next to Mike's side and whispered, "Do you think Piplup might be from this world, Mike?"

The Riolu whispered back, "It's possible. I mean, all we've seen nothing but other Pokémon so far, but that doesn't mean we're the only humans here. If he is from this world, maybe it would be worth our time to help him."

Ali suddenly appeared out of thin air on Mike's other side, though this didn't surprise either him or Helina, and said, "You know, even if Uxie did take his memory, there's no guarantee that he's the one who changed him into a Piplup."

Mike replied, "I know that, but Uxie is the smartest Pokémon out there. If anyone would know how a human can turn into a Pokémon, it would be him. All the more reason why we have to help those two find Fogbound Lake."

Alwin suddenly flew overhead and said, "Heads up, guys. We're coming up on a fork in the road." Everyone looked forward and saw that the Starly was right; not far ahead, the path they were walking on split into two. On the right path, they could see a hint of sunlight ahead, indicating that it led outside, while the left path continued further into the cave.

Xaomora looked at both paths several times before asking, "Which way do we go?"

Chimchar offered, "Well, if we went to the right, it'd be easier for everyone to see and there'd probably be fewer places for Pokémon to hide if we're walking along the outside of the cave."

Alwin nodded, "Makes sense to me. Not to mention I should be able to catch anyone who gets knocked off the edge."

Mike said, "You can only hold one Pokémon at a time, Alwin. What if someone else gets knocked off while you're trying to get someone back up? We run less risk by going this way, and besides, do you actually think something could ambush us? Come on, nothing like that is going to happen." He then started walking down the left path, everyone following after him soon afterwards, some doing so a little reluctantly.

As they continued to follow the path, it began to get darker and darker until the only sources of light were Chimchar and Carl's flames. "Shoot, I hate not having my gear. It's so hard to see right now…" Alwin muttered.

Helina spoke, "Xaomora, come over here. Stay close to me; I don't want to lose track of you in the darkness." A moment later, she felt the Oshawott place an arm on her side to let her know she was there.

Piplup asked, "Mike, can you tell where you're going?"

The Riolu grunted, "Of course I can. I just need to focus right now."

Helina's ears soon twitched and she asked, "Did anyone else hear that?"

Carl turned to her and asked, "Hear what?"

The Eevee said, "It sounded like flapping wings…"

Ali pointed ahead and said, "It's probably them." Everyone looked where he was pointing to see several Volbeat and Illumise flying around in close proximity to each other, the glowing tail of the Volbeat creating a kind of light show. Everyone got a little closer and watched silently for a few minutes. It was so peaceful. So peaceful, in fact, that it distracted them and kept them from hearing something approaching from behind…

Helina's ears suddenly twitched and she whirled around, yelling, "Behind us!" Everyone quickly turned around and saw a swarm of Kricketune flying towards them, their scythes gleaming in the darkness. Everyone managed to leap away as the swarm came upon where they were standing, avoiding the blades and causing the Volbeat and Illumise to scatter, making the cave go dark again.

Even though most of them couldn't see very far, due to not being near either Carl or Chimchar, everyone prepared for battle as soon as they landed. Although everyone pitched in, most of the battling was done by Piplup, Xaomora, Mike, and Helina. Piplup put his beak to good use against the Bug-types while Xaomora showed off her skill with her Razor Shell attack. Mike and Helina, meanwhile, worked closely together. Mike used his Aura to form a layer of ice on the scythes of the Kricketune and Helina, after letting Mike do this to several of them, finished them off with a Shock Grenade. After finishing off the last of them, Helina's knees buckled, but she managed to stay upright. Mike went over to her side and asked, "Are you okay, Helina?"

The Eevee replied, "Yeah. I guess I still need to recharge."

Mike nodded and looked over at Piplup and Xaomora, seeing the Oshawott finish off the last Kricketune with a series of slashes with her scalchop, the Kricketune falling onto its back afterwards. "_Man, her level of skill with that thing is almost comparable to Jack's with his swords…_" Mike thought to himself.

Piplup and Xaomora walked over to the rest of the group; when they were close enough, Carl asked, "You two okay?"

Piplup nodded, "Yeah, we're fine." He then looked over at Mike and asked, "What were you doing back there? I thought I saw you grabbing onto one of those Kricketune's scythes."

Chimchar said, "That's exactly what he was doing, Piplup. And it looked like he was freezing them or something."

Mike turned to Chimchar and asked, "Oh, you noticed that, huh?" He held up his right paw and generated a small Aura Sphere above it. He then said, "Besides the fact that I'm able to use my Aura like this and it's red, there's something else that's unique about it." Suddenly, the Aura Sphere turned into more of a solid ball and dropped into his open paw. "My Aura behaves a little differently; it has a tendency to crystallize and form solid objects, like this frozen Aura Sphere," he explained before tossing the frozen sphere at Chimchar.

Chimchar caught it and was quite surprised at its weight and coldness. He asked, with a shivering voice, "Wow, how are you able to toss this thing around like it's nothing?"

Mike plucked the Aura Sphere out of Chimchar's arms and said, "It's my Aura, so I can't feel its effects. My Ice Aura is one of the reasons I hate getting wet. I don't feel cold from my Aura, but I can quite easily feel the cold from my arm snap-freezing because of my Aura."

Suddenly, everyone heard something coming from behind them and turned to look. "What was that?" Piplup asked.

Mike gripped the Aura Sphere in his paw tightly and slammed it against the ground, causing several large growing cracks to appear on its surface. He then stood up and pushed Piplup aside, saying, "Move!" He then tossed it in front of him and swung his left leg back. He then kicked the sphere with all of his strength, causing more cracks to appear that glowed even brighter. It traveled in that direction for a minute, but then it exploded, causing several Pokémon to come flying out of the darkness, landing at the feet of the two teams. The sphere's explosion also created a sharp contrast in the temperature around them, making it seem considerably cold.

Alwin examined the Pokémon that had been revealed, "Granbull, Shuckle, Farfetch'd, Magmar… Nope, they're just Pokémon that hang around this cave. They're don't look like they're Teuta's troops."

Mike said, "Then let's get going. We've wasted enough time as it is." Everyone then turned and started walking again. They didn't get far when they heard a roar. Turning around, they saw the Magmar had gotten up and, after it was done roaring, began wildly using Flamethrower to make the cave hot again. While it was spraying flames around the room, it suddenly spotted the group. "Oh sh- RUN!" Mike yelled. Everyone immediately took off at that, the Magmar hot on their heels.

After several long minutes of running and dodging flames, the cave started to get brighter. "Hey! I think there's a way out up ahead!" Xaomora cried.

Alwin flew ahead of the group, heading for the source of the light. He soon came across an opening that the group would inevitably come to, flew out, and looked down. He then looked back over his shoulder, hearing the sound of everyone coming closer, and yelled, "Watch that first step!"

Xaomora was the first one out of the cave and, having been going a little too fast at the moment, almost fell into the gap in front of her! She let out a shocked scream, standing on one foot while trying to keep her balance. Piplup soon exited the cave and, upon seeing the position Xaomora was in, ran up behind her and pulled her back. He then glanced down and said, "Wow, what a hole."

Everyone else soon exited the cave and saw the problem. The gap in front of them separated them from the winding path that, presumably, would take them up to the lake. Unfortunately, the gap was far too wide to jump across, even if they were to take a running jump. Alwin could probably carry them all across, but there was still the issue of a rampaging Magmar behind them, and by the sound of things, he would be catching up soon.

"How are we gonna get across?" Chimchar asked.

Carl looked over at him and said, "Calm down, Chimchar. We can get across this." He then turned to Mike and asked, "Mike, can you make us a bridge?"

The Riolu nodded, "I'm on it!" He ran to the edge of the cliff and punched the ground, causing a large, glowing, bright red structure to shoot out towards the other side. It hit the side of the path and came to a stop. "Go! Go!" Mike yelled, waving an arm in the direction of the ice bridge. Helina got up under Xaomora, getting the Oshawott on her back, before running across the bridge while Carl grabbed Chimchar's hand and Ali picked up Piplup, both of them following her. Alwin was already waiting for them on the other side.

Once everyone was across, Mike ran onto the bridge himself. He came to a stop at the midway point and looked back to see a bright red light coming from the cave. Turning back around, he ran the rest of the way across the bridge and then punched it, the whole thing shattering after a moment. Everyone then turned and started making their way up the path; by the time the Magmar reached the cave exit, they were long gone.

As the two teams made their way to the top, Carl slowed down until he was walking next to Mike. He then nudged the Riolu and, when he turned to look at him, grinned, "Just wanted to mention that that was a GREAT choice back there, Mike. Not exactly one of your better decisions, was it?"

Mike groaned, "Okay, so I don't exactly have foresight like Piplup apparently has. At least the path took us up rather than to a dead end."

Carl murmured, "Now that you mention it, what IS the deal with that? We probably could've figured out how to raise the fog sooner or later, but he touched that statue and all of a sudden, he knew what to do. Kind of strange, don't you think?" Mike just shrugged, not exactly sure what to say to that.

After walking for a while more, it seemed that they had reached the top. They was a stone path in front of them leading to what appeared to be a large cave entrance, rocky walls on both sides of the path. As they approached the entrance, they all began to feel the tension in the air, almost crushing them. Suddenly, they saw a bright flash, which was followed by a roar, "GROOOOOOH… GROOOOOOH…!"

Chimchar said, "That's the roaring sound we heard earlier! It was coming from up here!"

Suddenly, the ground began to shake, the sound of monstrous footsteps moving towards the entrance of the cave. "Get ready, everybody! Something's coming!" Mike called.

**Down below, at the statue of Groudon…**

"Hey, hey, hey! Check this out, everyone!" Corphish called as he stood in front of the Groudon statue. Everyone from the guild soon approached him, gathering around him while looking up at the statue.

After examining it for a moment, Chatot asked, "This is it? The Groudon statue?"

Sunflora looked around before saying, "Oh! But there's no one else here!"

Chatot asked, "Are you really sure that you saw the Guildmaster, Corphish?"

The Ruffian Pokémon turned to him and nodded, "Sure, I'm sure! I saw him when I was scuttling back to base camp. The Guildmaster dashed past, all willy-nilly, in hot pursuit of a Perfect Apple! I gave him a shout and a wave, but he seemed too preoccupied to holler back." He then looked around and said, "I guess Teams Poképals and HBM went on ahead. So I'd bet that the Guildmaster went up after them, don't you think?"

Suddenly, the ground beneath them shook several times, everyone taking notice of it. From up above, they heard a loud, "GROOOOOOH…!"

Chimecho gasped, "What… Whatever could that be?"

Loudred exclaimed, "What an uproar! Is it maybe…?"

Corphish looked up and said, "Something is going on up there! Let's head up! Hurry!" Everyone began running to the right of the Groudon statue, looking for a way up.

Dugtrio came to a stop when he heard his son call, "Hey, Dad! Did you hear something right over there? Like moaning and groaning?" Dugtrio looked back at Diglett, seeing his son looking over to the left of the Groudon statue.

"Oh, you just imagined it! Now, let's hurry!" Dugtrio replied. Diglett nodded and they both started moving again, following the rest of the guild. Neither of them realized that the sound Diglett had heard had come from Team Skull, the trio having had their butts seriously kicked again, this time intentionally and by Wigglytuff.

**Up at the top of Steam Cave**

Piplup, Chimchar, and Team HBM stood their ground as best they could as the footsteps and roaring moved ever closer. The owner of said footsteps and roaring soon stepped out of the cave, revealing itself to be the Continent Pokémon, Groudon! It roared at the two teams, "GROOOOOOH! YOU! HAVE YOU COME TO DESECRATE THIS PLACE? DEPART NOW!"

Carl yelled, "No way! We came up here to find Fogbound Lake, and that's exactly what we're going to do!"

Groudon growled, "WHAT? FOGBOUND LAKE? I AM THE GUARDIAN OF FOGBOUND LAKE! I AM GROUDON! YOU WILL NEVER LEAVE HERE ALIVE, INTRUDERS!"

Ali muttered, "Great… That's exactly what I wanted to hear…"

Piplup looked over at Chimchar, noticing that the poor fire monkey was shivering. He moved over to his side and placed a wing on his shoulder, asking, "Chimchar, are you all right?"

Chimchar stuttered, "Urk… This is… really scary… But…" He looked at Piplup and asked, "We need to be brave, don't we? And I need to face up to this!"

Piplup nodded, "That's right. There's no turning back now!"

Helina glanced back at the two and said, "Hope you two are ready! This is going to be one heck of a battle!"

Groudon roared, "PREPARE FOR MY WRATH! GROOOOOOH!"

**Meanwhile, at the entrance to Steam Cave…**

After several minutes of running, Corphish and the other guild members spotted the entrance Team HBM and Team Poképals used to make their way up to the top. "Hey, hey! There's the way in!" Corphish exclaimed.

"Come on, let's get up there!" Sunflora exclaimed.

"Let's HURRY!" Loudred added, the guild members walking through the entrance single file.

As they started making their way up, Corphish turned to Chatot and asked, "Uh, h-hey, Chatot! Can I ask you something while we're running? Chatot, do you know about a Pokémon called Groudon?"

Chatot looked at him angrily and said, "Well, of course! Just what do you take me for? I'm only the head of intelligence for our guild! Squawk!" He then calmed down and said, "Groudon is a legendary Pokémon spoken of in myths passed down through generations."

Corphish asked, "A legendary Pokémon?"

Chatot nodded, "Correct. The myths say that he raised land from the sea. And that he built up the continents!"

Corphish whistled, "Hoo-boy! That sounds like a colossal Pokémon!" He then asked, "What if you were to face Groudon in battle? What would happen?"

Chatot answered, "Battle? Out of the question! Squawk! If anyone were foolish enough to face Groudon in a battle… Well, it would be like throwing your life away! He is that strong! Like all legendary Pokémon!"

**Meanwhile, at the peak…**

Carl and Chimchar each headed for one of the rocky walls on the side, both quickly climbing up them until they were about level with Groudon's head. They then leapt away from their respective wall and turned to face Groudon, both shouting "Flamethrower!" as they unleashed the attack together. While the Continent Pokémon endured the heat of the flames, Alwin flew above Groudon with Mike on his back, the Riolu leaping off and landing on top of Groudon's head while the Starly performed a U-turn to go around and catch the two Chimchar.

"Man! Even with the sunlight caused by Drought, it looks like our attacks barely did anything!" Carl growled.

"I hope Mike's idea works," Chimchar murmured worriedly.

Up on top of Groudon, Mike remained still as he crouched on one knee, waiting to see what Groudon would do. The Continent Pokémon soon reared its head back, preparing to fire a Mud Shot at everyone. In response, Mike slammed his right fist down on top of Groudon's head, causing a layer of ice to start forming along the front of its face until it covered its mouth, sealing it in the closed position. Now realizing that Mike was there, Groudon began to shake its head and ram against the rocky walls, trying to throw him off. "Piplup! Xaomora! A little help here?" he yelled.

Piplup and Xaomora ran forward, Piplup yelling, "Coming, Mike!" Once he was close enough, Piplup unleashed a Hydro Pump attack, hitting Groudon just above its left eye. Under the ice, the Continent Pokémon growled at the feeling of the cold water hitting it. Xaomora, meanwhile, held her arms out in 'T' shape, a blue orb of water appearing in front of her open mouth. She then fired it up at Groudon, but it saw the attack coming and stopped it with a simple wave of its claw.

Groudon then turned its attention back to Mike, raising a claw to its head and trying to grab him with it. In response, Mike leapt back, coming to Groudon's neck and then sliding down its back. He then gripped onto the middle of its back with his left paw and both feet, gathering his Aura into his right paw as he swung it back. With his Aura generating an unnatural cold into his fist, he launched a Bullet Punch at Groudon's back, the massive Pokémon letting out a surprised but muffled roar as the cold quickly spread across its body.

While Groudon was temporarily stunned by the attack, Xaomora prepared and fired another Water Pulse while Helina and Ali both used Shadow Ball. Groudon wasn't able to block any attacks this time and took them head-on. After recovering, Groudon let out a deep growl and bent forward, pressing its claws against the ground. Suddenly, a geyser of flames burst out of its back, lifting Mike up into the air! It didn't lift him all the way up (it just threw him off of Groudon's back towards the group), but it did cause his fur to catch fire, causing him to flail as he flew through the air. "AHH! HOLY CR-" His scream was cut off when Piplup hit him with a Brine attack, putting the flames out and slowing his descent slightly.

When the Riolu landed in front of him, Piplup asked, "Uh, are you all right?"

Mike glanced at the burnt fur on his body before saying, "I think so…" He was snapped out of his inspection by Groudon roaring, the Eruption attack having melted the ice around its mouth. It was rearing back again, preparing another Mud Shot attack! Mike quickly gathered his Aura into his arms and yelled, "Everybody stand still!" He then punched the ground with both fists, causing a forest of red ice pillars to suddenly shoot out of the ground in front, behind, and to the sides of everybody. When Groudon released the spiral of mud from its mouth, it broke some of the ice pillars, but everyone was safely hidden from the attack and away from the ones that broke.

Piplup, Chimchar, and Carl were hiding behind one of the pillars closer to Groudon, their backs pressed up against it. Chimchar peeked out from behind the pillar, moving back when he saw that it was looking for them. He looked over at Carl and asked, "You think we can attack him from here?"

Carl replied, "We could, but it would be better if we could attack without giving away our position." He glanced at the pillar across from them as he said, "Too bad we can't use the ice's reflectivity against Groudon from here. Like a house of mirrors."

Piplup spoke, "Mirrors? That gives me an idea." He looked over at Mike, who was behind the pillar across from them with Helina and Xaomora, and, after making sure Groudon wasn't looking in his direction, ran over to his side. He then nudged the Riolu and whispered, "Mike, do you think it's possible to bounce a shot off of these ice pillars at Groudon?"

Mike looked down at him and whispered, "…Maybe. Hang on while I figure this out." He closed his eyes and focused his Aura, examining his surroundings.

Helina turned to Xaomora and said, "We might be able to help them. Can you do that trick where you deflected my lightning again?"

The Oshawott nodded, "Yes, I think so."

Helina replied, "Good. Then let's find an open spot to do this. I don't want risk accidentally hitting one of the pillars and shocking everybody." She and Xaomora began to sneak around the pillars, looking for a good spot to attack Groudon from. While they were sneaking, Groudon started moving around, looking for everyone.

Eventually, Helina and Xaomora reached a good spot. Xaomora waited while Helina charged up her electricity, which took her a little longer than usual due to her earlier short circuit and fighting with Teuta earlier. When Xaomora saw that the Eevee was just about ready, she leapt out from her hiding place and fired a Water Gun in Groudon's direction, hitting his side. Groudon growled at this and started to stomp towards her.

Xaomora turned back to Helina and saw that the electricity was sparking around her, begging to be released. "_I don't need too much electricity. Just enough to paralyze him for a minute,_" Helina thought to herself. Opening her eyes, she saw Xaomora holding out an arm towards her. She nodded and released a bolt of lightning at the Oshawott, hitting her arm. As soon as it did, it traveled through her body and exited through her other arm, which was now pointing towards Groudon. When it hit, it seemed that the lightning bolt didn't do much, but then it started sparking along the Continent Pokémon's body and it froze in place.

Helina turned in Piplup and Mike's direction and yelled, "Mike! Now's your chance! Get him before he starts to move again!"

Mike nodded, "Okay! I've got it now!" He pointed to an ice pillar across from them and said, "There! Hit that pillar right where I'm pointing!" Piplup nodded and unleashed a Hydro Pump attack, hitting the pillar right where Mike said to. The stream of water went sliding off of the pillar, hit another pillar, and then headed for another. It did this several times before it hit the last pillar and went towards Groudon, hitting him in the chest. The attack pushed the Continent Pokémon backwards until it came to a stop a short ways away from where it had been standing.

After recovering from the attack, Groudon growled and held its arms out. They both began to glow white and it slammed them into the ground in a Hammer Arm attack. The shockwave generated by the attack not only lifted everyone off the ground, but also caused some of the ice pillars to break off as well. After everyone landed, they all looked up to see that Groudon was preparing a Fire Blast attack, a fireball forming in its mouth.

Mike glanced to his right, noticing one of the broken pillars lying on the ground nearby. He held his right paw out towards it, extending a rope of Aura and latching onto it with his Aura Tether. He then ran up a nearby pillar that was still attached to the ground, pulling the other pillar with him. Once he reached the top of the pillar, he swung his right arm in Groudon's direction, the Aura Tether releasing the pillar and sending it flying towards Groudon.

As it flew towards its target, Mike brought his paws together in front of him and began gathering his Aura between them. This time, he had no difficulty gathering energy and he grinned, "Time for some fun! Aura Storm!" He then unleashed a red beam from between his paws, the beam hitting the pillar and, instead of breaking it into shards, pushing it forward. Groudon stood strong as the beam and pillar came towards it, but as soon as they hit, it let out a shocked roar as it was suddenly lifted off the ground! The beam-pillar combo sent it flying towards the back wall, causing a large explosion followed by a shower of red shards. After the smoke died down, Mike smirked at the sight of Groudon lying face down on the ground, "And the quarterback is frost!"

Mike leapt down from the ice pillar, landing on his feet as lightly as a feather. Everyone else soon came over, Alwin saying, "That was awesome, Mike!"

The Riolu grinned, "Yeah, it was, wasn't it?" He then looked back at Groudon and asked, "But was that really Groudon? When I was focusing earlier, I didn't pick up an Aura from it."

Helina asked, "No Aura? That's strange…" Suddenly, a bright white light came from Groudon's body, forcing everyone to close their eyes. When the light died down and they opened their eyes again, Groudon was gone!

"Huh? What happened to Groudon?" Chimchar exclaimed.

An unknown voice echoed in all of their ears, "That was not Groudon. That Groudon was nothing more than an illusion that I conjured."

Everyone looked around, but found no one else. "Who said that?" Xaomora wondered.

The owner of the voice spoke, "Like I said, I am the guardian here. And I cannot allow you to pass."

Chimchar said, "Wait! We're not here to cause trouble! We only came for information!"

The voice asked, "Information, you say?"

Piplup spoke up, "Well yes, that's part of the truth. It's also true that we're all of one exploration team or another, and some of us would like to leave with treasure… But if you have a problem with that, we'll leave without any. We'll be happy to say that we just made it this far."

The voice was silent for a moment; it then spoke, "Well… okay, I believe you." Seconds later, a flash of light appeared, followed by a gray fairy-like Pokémon with two tails and a partially yellow face, the tails and forehead having a red gem on them, encased in a multicolored orb. After the orb faded away, the Pokémon spoke, "Let me welcome you, then. I am Uxie, the guardian of Fogbound Lake."

Chimchar asked, "Did you say Uxie?"

Uxie nodded, "Yes, truly. I stand guard over something special… that lies in Fogbound Lake. Now, let me escort you to Fogbound Lake. Please, come this way." He then turned and started floating towards the mouth of the cave behind where Groudon had landed. Everyone looked at each other for a moment before running to catch up with him.

After a while of following Uxie, everyone found themselves at the edge of the very lake they had been searching for. For the first time, they also noted that night had already fallen. Uxie floated to the very edge of the lake and turned to everyone. He then said, "It may be difficult to see at night, but…" He then turned back towards the lake, saying, "Behold! Fogbound Lake!"

Everyone moved closer to Uxie to get a better look. "Wow! That's incredible! The lake is so big, even though it's so high up! And those floating Volbeat and Illumise… So beautiful!" Chimchar exclaimed.

Piplup looked intently at the light show that the Volbeat and Illumise were creating above the lake. "_I… I'm sure of it. I've never seen anything like this in all of my life,_" he thought.

Uxie spoke, making everyone turn to face him, "Water constantly wells up from far below this place. It flows up so heavily that it has long formed this enormous lake." He then looked back at everyone and said, "Now cast your eyes to the glowing area at the lake's center."

Alwin soon spoke, "I see it! It's coming from below! That blue green radiance, right?"

Uxie replied, "Step forward for a closer look." Everyone did as he said, now able to see the blue gear spinning underneath the surface of the water.

Piplup looked especially close at it. "_That's… What is that? It's making my heart race! But why? Why does it make me feel this way? Is it… something important?_"

Mike mused, "Interesting. What is it?"

Uxie said, "That is… a Time Gear."

Chimchar looked over at him in shock, saying, "What? That's a Time Gear?"

Uxie nodded, "Yes. I guard the Time Gear. It's the sole reason I'm here." He turned back to the group and explained, "Others before you have tried to trespass here. But I used my Groudon illusion to chase most of them off."

Xaomora asked, "How do you do that?"

Uxie answered, "That is something I create with my psychic abilities. Like so…" The red gem on his forehead began to glow, and suddenly, a life-sized transparent Groudon appeared next to the group! Seeing everyone's reaction to it, Uxie said, "There's no need to be startled. As I've said, it's just an illusion. What you fought was no more than that. There have been others who defeated my Groudon illusion. They managed to make their way to this spot. But they were trespassers! So I took away their memories… And, thus, protected the lake."

At Uxie's words, Chimchar remembered their other reason for coming to the lake and grabbed Piplup's wing, pulling him along with him as he walked up to Uxie. He then said, "Uxie, we wanted to ask you something! Meet my friend, Piplup! At present, a Pokémon! At one time, a human!"

Uxie looked intrigued by his words and asked, "Oh, really? A human?"

Chimchar nodded, "Yes! But Piplup has lost all memory of being a human. So we were wondering… were any of the intruders you took away the memories of human, Uxie? Has anything like that ever happened before?" The members of Team HBM, except Xaomora, found themselves impatiently awaiting the Knowledge Pokémon's answer.

After a moment, Uxie spoke, "The answer is… no. No human has ever come here. I should explain further… I only erase memories of Fogbound Lake. I cannot fully erase all memories from living beings. I had nothing to do with your friend's memory loss, nor anything to do with your friend's transformation into a Pokémon. The cause lies elsewhere."

Chimchar released Piplup's wing, saying, "Oh… Well, that's okay." He looked back at Piplup and said, "I guess you haven't been here after all, Piplup."

Carl grumbled, "The treasure turned out to be a Time Gear, Uxie's never seen a human before… This sure turned out to be a bust."

Suddenly, everyone heard a familiar voice coming from the cave, "A Time Gear! A Time Gear! Well, too bad!" Everyone turned around to see Wigglytuff come hopping out of the cave. "We can't take a Time Gear, especially not when two have already been stolen," he said. He then pushed his way to the edge of the lake and cheered, "Wow! Fantastic!"

Uxie asked, "And who might this be?"

Chimchar said, "That's our Guildmaster!"

Wigglytuff turned to Uxie and said, "Glad to meet you, friend! Friend! Friend! Friend!" He then walked over to the forgotten Groudon illusion and said, "Glad to greet you friend! Friend! Amazing! Friend!" He then walked back to the edge of the lake and said, "Gaze upon this amazing view! I'm delighted we came! La-dee-la! Dee-la-dee!" Xaomora couldn't help but giggle at Wigglytuff's behavior.

A short while later, the rest of the guild reached the lake and were shocked when they saw Team HBM hanging out by some rocks near the Groudon illusion. "Squ-squ-squawk?" Chatot exclaimed.

"Gr-Gr-Gr-" Loudred sputtered.

"It's Groudon! Spit it out!" Sunflora exclaimed.

"What are you all doing there? Get away! And tell him I'm not tasty!" Corphish said.

Ali pointed at Groudon and asked, "What, him? It's just an illusion." He turned his head to look at it and extended his tongue, which went through its side and out the other. He then retracted it back into his mouth.

Wigglytuff soon came over and said, "Hello to one and all! So what's wrong?"

Everyone turned to look at him, Chatot exclaiming, "G-G-Guildmaster!"

Wigglytuff smiled, "Oh, never mind that! Everyone, look out there!" He turned back towards the lake and said, "It's spouting! Pretty! Pretty!"

Everyone let out a confused, "HUH?" before turning to look. Out in the middle of the lake, water was shooting out of ground like an enormous fountain. With the Volbeat and Illumise flying around the lake, a variety of colors were being reflected in the water. Everyone soon moved to the edge of the lake, sitting down and commenting on the view.

Seeing everyone's interest in the lake, Uxie spoke, "The lake geyser erupts every now and then. It sends up water, just like a fountain… And the Time Gear sends up illumination from below… While many Illumise and Volbeat glow up on the fountain of water… In harmony, they are the very vision of beauty!"

Wigglytuff said, "The treasure! The treasure… must be the view of Fogbound Lake!"

As they sat together, Chimchar looked at Piplup out of the corner of his eye and asked, "Are you taking this in this view, Piplup? This is so magical! It's really too bad that we didn't learn anything about your past, Piplup. But I'm glad we came! I'm happy that I got to see such a beautiful scene with everyone! I'm truly happy." Piplup nodded; although he had no idea how he knew about the lake or why the Time Gear made him feel strange, he was glad they came too.

As everyone enjoyed the view, Uxie noticed that Team HBM was hanging back, just leaning against the rocks and only occasionally looking at the lake. Focusing his gaze on Mike, he floated over to the Riolu, who looked up at him as he got closer. Once he was floating in front of him, Uxie spoke, "Mike Victor. I may not be able to erase all of someone's memories, but I am able to see them. I've only looked at your past very briefly, and I've found countless reasons for someone to fear you, yet those that have surrounded you over the years show nothing but respect. I am interested as to why that is."

Mike sighed and said, "Well, in the past, I… we've all done some… pretty bad stuff."

In the background, the two of them heard Carl pipe up, "Heh, that's an understatement!"

Uxie nodded and said, "Indeed it is."

Mike continued, "Anyway, like I said, we've all done some pretty bad things before, and as a result of the sheer number and scale of said things, we all figured that there was going to be no way we would ever go to heaven."

Alwin flew up next to Mike and landed, saying, "Because we all figured that, no matter what we did, there would be no 'going to heaven', doing the morally right thing kind of lost its value. Somehow, that caused us to look even further in the future when making a decision and seeing if either choice would pay off in the long run."

Ali appeared on Mike's other side and said, "For example, one time we had the decision to save ten of our comrades or 1,000 civilians. At the time, we chose to save the ten of them. They then went on to save several thousand more than we had the option to save at the time, totaling in the hundreds of thousands being saved, all of them from the Third Suns."

Helina said, "As soon as making the morally right decision became a lost cause for us, the higher-ups suddenly realized that we were perfectly set for making the countless 'lesser of two evils' decisions that the governments were too soft to make. Initially, the civilians hated us, yes, but when our foresight became known when the decisions started paying themselves off, they realized that there would always be a larger goal behind those decisions."

Mike turned back to Uxie and said, "I guess you could say it's all in the name."

**Meanwhile…**

Grovyle was traveling through the mountains while looking at a map, his only light the moon hanging high up in the sky. He murmured, "Let's see… By comparing the map of then to the map of now, I should be almost there."

A voice that sounded like it belonged to a male spoke up behind him, "Don't you mean WE'RE almost there?"

Grovyle flinched at the sound of the voice, but then he calmed down and turned around to see a Sandslash approaching him. "Oh, Karnak, it's you. I was wondering if you had met the same fate as he did when I couldn't find you," he said.

The Sandslash replied, "I guess I just ended up in a different part of the forest than you. I saw that you got the first Time Gear shortly after I woke up. You covered your tracks pretty well, but I managed to pick up your trail while you were hiding out after stealing the second one. So what do you say we get the third one together?"

Grovyle nodded, "Yes. We know where they are, so we can go after them ourselves." He looked down as he said, "I just hope…"

Karnak nodded, "You're worried about him. Don't worry, I understand. Ever since you two met, you've always been worried about him. He's like family to you, isn't he?"

Grovyle bit his lip before answering, "…Yes. Yes he is." He then looked up at the sky as he said, "And that's why I want to make sure what he left behind never comes back to haunt anyone. That it never has a chance to exist."

* * *

Grovyle, Drake, Errol, and the human walked into the clearing where the three Pokémon had met Celebi before being captured by Dusknoir. So far, they had managed to evade the Gripper Pokémon and his Sableye, making it through Chasm Cave, Dark Hill, the Sealed Ruins, and all the way through Dusk Forest into the Deep Dusk Forest. Physically, Grovyle, Drake, and Errol all looked okay, having taken brief periods of rest between the dungeons in order to recover their strength so they could be prepared for any nasty surprises waiting for them. The human, on the other hand, looked like he'd been attacked a few times, as he had more tears in his clothing and a few wounds that, although not severe, had not started to heal yet. Because he was unable to defend himself properly, he had to stay close to Grovyle at all times.

"Celebi! It's me, Grovyle! Are you there?" the Wood Gecko called.

"Will you give it up already, Grovyle? We've searched most of the Dusk Forest and found no trace of her. She probably decided to leave when she heard you used to work for Primal Dialga," Drake said.

"Dusknoir didn't say she left the Dark Land, Drake. She could still be here. If she is, she might be able to help us!" Grovyle replied.

"Maybe Celebi heard us, but she didn't show herself because she's confused about what to think. Clearly, she understood that you used to work for Primal Dialga, Grovyle. Maybe, even with that battle that happened here, she's not sure whether you still do or not," Errol suggested.

Drake added, "Not to mention we're dragging around something even a time traveler like her probably isn't familiar with!" He gestured to the human as he said this, the boy flinching slightly at the remark.

Grovyle said, "That may be, Drake, but she doesn't have any reason to fear him, especially if she was watching us like Errol suggested. Remember that Rhydon? Or that Aggron? He didn't help us fight, but he didn't run away either. It should be clear that he's not a coward who will run away at the earliest convenience."

After he said that, Celebi's voice was suddenly heard, "Oh yes, that's quite apparent to me!" Everyone looked around the clearing with surprised expressions, but they didn't see any trace of the Time Travel Pokémon. A moment later, she appeared across from them in a flash of sparkles and smiled, "Hi everyone!"

Grovyle started, "Celebi… You… I…"

Celebi flew up to him and silenced him with a hand on his mouth. She then spoke softly, "Sh. You don't have to say it, Grovyle. I'll admit I was shocked when I learned that you used to be with Primal Dialga, but that doesn't change how I see you. There's something about you that's different from that Dusknoir guy or his Sableye, something that tells me you're a good Pokémon that probably had a good reason for being with Primal Dialga in the first place. Whatever that reason was, it probably wasn't enough to justify what you were being ordered to do, so you left. That's what I think; you tell me if I'm wrong."

Grovyle blinked for a moment before saying, "No, actually you're correct."

Celebi giggled, "Well good!" She then fluttered a short distance away from Grovyle and looked behind him at the human, saying, "And he certainly doesn't seem to be a bad human. I've met humans before, in the past. He doesn't have the look of any of the few bad humans I saw. He's okay with me!"

Grovyle said, "Well, since we seem to have gotten all that out of the way, we should get out of here. The Sableye are bound to catch up eventually if we stay here."

As if on cue, a Sableye suddenly leapt into the clearing landing a short distance away from Grovyle, and yelled, "You're not going anywhere!" Grovyle turned around and extended his Leaf Blades, Drake moving to his side while the human, Errol, and Celebi stayed behind them. Soon, more Sableye entered the clearing, forming a wall of purple and twinkly eyes in front of them, followed soon after by Dusknoir. Grovyle glared in his direction, but his eyes came to rest on the first Sableye that appeared, who said in a slightly different voice that was muffled enough that he could hear but Dusknoir couldn't, "Don't move. I'll handle this."

This caused Grovyle and Drake to relax their guards, causing Errol, Celebi, and the human to look between them and the Sableye. Dusknoir approached them while saying, "I'll only advise you once: don't try anything stupid. If any of you resist, it'll only make your ends that much worse."

The Sableye in front of them stayed where he was, glancing back out of the corner of his six-sided eye. Grovyle overheard him muttering, "Come on, that's right. Just a little closer…"

As he floated towards Grovyle, Dusknoir spoke in a slightly haughty tone of voice, "Grovyle, Grovyle, Grovyle… You know I know you. You know it wouldn't take long for me to realize that you were missing. If you want to lose me, you're going to have to catch me more off-guard than you did with that riot."

The Sableye in front of the group, in the same voice but louder, suddenly said, "How's this for being caught off-guard!" He whipped around while generating a glowing light blue ball of water in front of his mouth. He prepared to release the attack while calling out, "Hydro Cannon!" He then fired the orb, which struck Dusknoir in the chest and pushed him back into the rest of the Sableye before exploding.

When the smoke cleared, the Pokémon looked at all the scattered bodies and started laughing at the chaos he caused in those few short seconds, causing a taupe-colored energy to spark from his body, eventually causing his body to… change into a Sandslash? The Pokémon regained his composure and said, "You know, you really ought to be more careful of your own troops, Dusknoir."

Dusknoir looked up at who the 'Sableye' had transformed into and angrily yelled, "You? Sableye! Attack!"

This only caused the Sandslash to smirk. He put his claws on the ground and called out, "Frenzy Plant!" At his call, several green-brown roots emerged from the ground, ensnaring the Sableye. After a brief recovery period, a ball of flames formed in his mouth and he called out, "Blast Burn!" He released the orb of flames at the entangled Sableye, setting the roots that were restraining them on fire, forcing them to take the full brunt of the attack and the pain of the roots burning on their bodies. The Sandslash took another rest period, watching all of the Sableye faint as the roots were burned to ashes. The Sandslash's focus then shifted back to Dusknoir.

He then charged up a blue ball of energy in his mouth, soon releasing it in a powerful Hydro Pump attack. This sent Dusknoir flying further back from the group, landing near the edge of the clearing. The Sandslash soon turned to face the others; everyone was equally shocked and impressed with the Pokémon's display, Drake balancing the two with an equal amount of somewhat restrained respect as well. Sandslash looked at Grovyle and said, "You must be the Grovyle vigilante I heard about from my cell. Thanks for breaking us all out. I'm Karnak, otherwise known as 'the Mew of Sandslashes'. It's nice to finally meet you."

After a moment, Grovyle replied, "It's nice to meet you too, Karnak. Thank you for helping us out."

Karnak said, "No problem. So what were you planning to do now? Escape?"

Grovyle nodded, "That's what we were planning to do once we found Celebi. We were hoping she would be able to help us escape since it's a long way to the nearest Porygon."

Celebi spoke up, "I would be happy to, but I don't know if it's going to work with all of us here. It's going to be a long travel in time, and traveling a distance like that is already straining enough when doing it with just one or two Pokémon!"

Karnak asked, "Remember what I just said? I'm the Mew of Sandslashes; I can learn any move, as you've just seen. Will you be able to go the distance if I combine my Teleport with your ability to travel in time?"

Celebi replied, "Hm… You know, it just might work!"

Karnak nodded, "Okay then! Everyone, gather 'round!" He then stepped up to Celebi and joined his claws with her hands, both of them channeling their power together. Grovyle, Drake, Errol, and the human stood around them, watching as a bright white light began to shine from between the two.

As Dusknoir picked his head up, there was a bright flash and they all vanished! The Gripper Pokémon growled, "Grr… Blast you, Karnak!" He then thought about what he had just heard. "So Celebi can travel in time, eh? Perhaps that's an ability that Master Dialga can use to our advantage when I find her again…"

**Elsewhere…**

As the bright flash faded from everyone's vision, they realized they were no longer in the Deep Dusk Forest. Celebi panted, fluttering her wings rapidly as she said, "Wow… Even with your help, Karnak, that was still quite exhausting!"

The Sandslash nodded, "Yeah… I'm feeling a little tired myself."

Drake looked around and asked, "Where are we?"

Celebi perked up and said, "Oh! We're on the northeastern side of a continent that is a substantial distance away from the Dark Land! There used to be some kind of cave near here and there's a large forest to our east. If Dusknoir comes looking for us, it'll take him a while to find us!"

The human, who had remained silent up until this point, asked, "The northeastern side of the continent? Is there a mountain range to the north or west of here?"

Celebi blinked for a moment before replying, "Well, yes there is. It's just to our north." She then pointed northward to indicate the direction.

The human sighed, "Oh, okay then."

Grovyle asked, "Is something wrong?"

The human hesitated before saying, "W-well, I'm familiar with this area, especially those mountains. And… well, I don't know. You guys are going to be protecting Celebi, right?"

Grovyle nodded, "Well, of course. Even if she can escape from anything, she could still use protection." Unnoticed by anyone, Celebi turned away and blushed a little at that.

The human replied, "That's what I thought. Since I know where I am and I'm pretty much dead weight, I was thinking this would be a good time to get out of your way before I create any more problems."

Grovyle asked, "What? But…"

Drake interrupted him, "The kid's got a point, Grovyle. He can barely defend himself; how's he going to defend Celebi? If he thinks he can get to some place where he'll be safe, then maybe letting him go isn't such a bad idea." He then looked up at the human and asked, "That is what you're implying, isn't it?"

The human nodded at that. "So, uh…" he started.

Grovyle looked up at him for a minute before closing his eyes and saying, "I can't stop you from making your own decisions. If you think you'll be better off on your own, I won't argue with you."

The human replied, "I understand. I'm sorry…" He then turned and started walking north, shooting one last look back at the group before breaking out into a run, disappearing into the darkness.

Errol looked at Grovyle, who stood as still as a statue. "Grovyle…?" he ventured. The gecko made no response.

Karnak walked up to his side and placed a claw on his shoulder, asking, "You're worried about him, aren't you?"

Grovyle nodded and opened his eyes, looking north and saying, "He seems like a good kid. If he says he's going to be fine, I have to believe him. Yes, I am worried, but I also can't force him to stay with us." Silence ruled the area for a minute.

Then Celebi spoke, "Karnak, do want to stay with us?"

The Sandslash turned to her and grinned, "Sure, why not? You seem like an interesting lot; this could be fun."

Celebi giggled, "Great! Follow me, everyone; I have a place in the forest nearby. We can go there and rest and I can tell you about the past and stuff!" She then started flying to the east, everyone following closely behind her. As he followed, Grovyle stopped for a moment and shot one last gaze towards the north before turning and following after everyone.

* * *

Well... sorry about the long wait for this one. My inspiration ran on fumes several times during the Poképals portion, so... Well, no use worrying about that now.

So we get to hear a little bit from Team HBM and see them use some more of their unique talents. Major credit goes to RandomPerson422 for his priceless help with this chapter. Might be a good thing we're giving Team HBM a little break; part of the holdup was figuring out what I wanted each of them to do. At least in future appearances, it will only be a few of the members. Should be easier to write.

Also, we get to meet Karnak, the Mew of Sandslashes. Just like Team HBM and Xaomora, he belongs to RandomPerson422.

I own nothing.

Music:

Team HBM's History - Briefing Theme #1 (Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies)

Moving On - Upper Steam Cave (PMD: EoT/EoD/EoS)

Surprise Attack - Lava Piranha Battle 1 (Paper Mario)

Run From Magmar - Lava Piranha Battle 2 (Paper Mario)

Groudon's Approach - Here Comes Trouble! (Banjo-Tooie)

Vs. Groudon - Iblis (Sonic the Hedgehog (2006))

Uxie and Fogbound Lake - Lake Theme (Pokémon DPPt)

Pressing Onwards - Dreams of an Absolution (Starry Night Remix)

Searching for Celebi - Lost Woods (The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past)

Surrounded - Tanker (Evasion) (Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty)

New Ally - Olga Boss Battle (Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty)

A Welcome and Goodbye - Main Menu (Metal Gear Solid)


	14. A Time Past, Unexpected Visitor

"Oh Grovyle, won't you please come down from there?" Celebi pleaded. She was calling up into a tree in a small forest clearing, the green and red gecko sitting on a tree branch with his back pressed up against the trunk and his arms behind the back of his head.

"No, I'm perfectly fine up here, Celebi. I'd rather not sit around, but since you insisted on telling us what you know, I might as well make sure I'm comfortable. Besides, someone with a cool head needs to be on the lookout for trouble," Grovyle replied, giving a pointed glance down at Drake as he said that last part, the Gabite sitting up against a tree across from his with his eyes closed. As for Errol and Karnak, the Mothim was resting on one of the other trees in the clearing and the Sandslash was sitting near the center of the clearing.

Celebi opened her mouth to plead with Grovyle again, but Karnak spoke first, "Just let it go, Celebi. I have a feeling if he was coming down, he would've done so already. And he makes a good point; Dusknoir and his Sableye may not know where we are right now, but they're sure to come looking for us after reporting back to their master."

Celebi pouted a bit at that, looking up at Grovyle with a look he couldn't decipher, but she said, "Fine, if that's how he wants to be." She turned and floated away from the tree, landing on the ground in front of Karnak. She then spoke, "I guess you'd all like to hear about how the world you live in came to be, right? But first, I want to ask something: what do you all know about Primal Dialga?"

Karnak spoke up, "What's to know? He's the Temporal Pokémon, able to control and manipulate time. At least he used to, before he went mad. Anyway, he used to have... I think Palkia was a friendly rival to him or something? Whatever; anyway, something killed him and now Primal Dialga is in charge of everyone and everything." Looking down at Celebi, he asked, "Does that about cover it?

Celebi replied, "Pretty much. Except for one thing…"

Karnak asked, "What?"

Celebi answered, "Primal Dialga was the one who killed Palkia."

Everyone looked at her from where they were, Drake asking, "What? Why would he do that?"

Celebi shrugged, "Simple. Once he started going crazy from the destruction of Temporal Tower, the spark of friendship between them was lost and Palkia tried to stop Dialga before he went too far. Unfortunately, Palkia was no match for Primal Dialga's rage and eventually fell. As did many other legendary Pokémon. The only ones I know that are still alive are Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf, and it seems like they all serve Primal Dialga."

Errol asked, "You mean they work for him too?"

Celebi replied, "They share a special kind of connection to Dialga and Palkia. After Dialga was changed and Palkia was killed, they began to fall to the same darkness. I don't know where any of them are, but I've sensed them and even tried to listen for their thoughts. I once thought I picked up on Uxie's thoughts, but I heard nothing but dark growls. There wasn't even a trace of his worldly wisdom."

Grovyle asked, "Do they serve him from afar? I never saw any Pokémon by those names during my time under Primal Dialga."

Celebi replied, "They served as lake guardians in the past, protecting some precious treasure or something. My guess is they still live in those areas and attack anyone they come across."

Drake raised an eye, "Precious treasure? What kind of treasure?"

Celebi replied, "If I knew, I would've told you. All I can guess is something important or they wouldn't have been defending those lakes in the past."

Errol asked, "What is the world of the past like? Is it nice?"

Celebi sighed, "Oh, it's beautiful. The sun shines all over the land, rain and snow fall, and the seasons change. Oh, and except for the Pokémon that live in the caves and forests, all the Pokémon are so much nicer. Not like some of the Pokémon in this world."

Drake snorted, "Sounds boring."

Celebi glared at him, "Huh! Fine, be a grump if you want. It might be boring, but I say it's much better than having to scavenge to find food and fighting off angry Pokémon every day, or, in this world's case, every moment you're awake."

Errol asked, "Day? What is that?"

Celebi replied, "It's when the sun rises into the sky and brightens up the land. There are no thick, black clouds in the past obscuring the sky all the time in the past. Unless it's naturally cloudy, you can see the blue sky during the day and the infinite reaches of space at night when the moon rises. It's so beautiful…" Grovyle was leaning on his side as Celebi spoke, paying special attention to what she was saying.

Karnak asked, "So if the world's so beautiful in the past, what happened that would make Dialga want to turn it into… this?"

Celebi said, "Well… I'm not entirely sure. But you're all familiar with Temporal Tower, yes?"

Grovyle spoke, "If we were in the Dark Land at the time, Dusknoir would take us there to receive orders directly from Primal Dialga."

Drake nodded, "And if you're standing in a good spot, you can sometimes see it from the ground. From what I can see, it looks pretty tall, but it sure looks broken."

Celebi spoke, "Exactly. The tower is broken, collapsed. I don't know quite how it happened, but at some point in the past, Temporal Tower was destroyed. This sent Dialga into a primal rage and disrupted the flow of time, consequently causing time to stop all over the world. But Dialga had become consumed by pure primal instinct. He didn't care what happened to anyone; all he cared about was self-preservation. That was when he became Primal Dialga."

Grovyle asked, "So he was changed because the tower collapsed? Huh… Is there any way to prevent that?"

Celebi sighed, "As far as I know, no. I've been to the point in time where the time stop occurs, but there's no sign of the Dark Land anywhere. It's like it's been hidden to keep anyone from finding it. And I certainly wouldn't know what to do if I did find it. I mean, what would I say to the Dialga of the past? I'd like to think that he would listen to me, but I have a feeling he wouldn't."

Drake shrugged, "Well, what's the big deal? Go back to the past and find out where the Dark Land of that time is. Then come back and take Karnak to the past with you and then have him transform into either Dialga or Palkia. That should convince him to listen to you."

Karnak shook his head, "No, that's not going to work. How is transforming into Dialga going to convince him? Besides, transforming into a legendary Pokémon can really drain me. If I had to fight Dialga, he'd have the advantage."

Drake growled, "Ah, that's just great."

Grovyle leapt down to the ground and stood up and said, "Look, there has to be a reason why Temporal Tower collapsed as it did. Something like that doesn't just collapse on its own. It had to have been caused by someone or something."

Celebi nodded, "That's what I was thinking too. But I have no idea how it happened…"

Errol spoke, "Maybe we can try to figure that out ourselves. After we lay low for a while, that is. You know, since Dusknoir is probably out there looking for us and all."

Karnak said, "Right, good idea. So… anybody know any good jokes?"

* * *

"UP AND AT 'EM! IT'S MORNING!" Loudred's familiar wake-up call pierced the silence of the room, forcibly shaking Piplup and Chimchar from their sleep. The Big Voice Pokémon left the two apprentices' room when he saw them beginning to stir.

Piplup looked over at Chimchar and groaned, "Ugh… Good morning, Chimchar…"

The fire monkey opened his eyes, his flame springing to life, and replied, "Yeah, good morning, Piplup." Glancing over at the door, he saw that Loudred was already gone. "Guess we're back to business as usual!" he commented, a little too cheerily for Piplup's tastes. He then stood up and grabbed his Relic Fragment and Defense Scarf.

Piplup stood up and grabbed his Joy Ribbon, fixing it on his chest as he muttered, "Out of that whole expedition, we only got one day where we didn't have to wake up to that… Why couldn't we have gotten more? I know I wouldn't have complained…"

Chimchar looked over at him as he put on their newer, bigger Treasure Bag and asked, "Did you say something, Piplup?"

The former human looked back at him and quickly said, "Oh, uh… just muttering to myself. Nothing important, though."

Chimchar shrugged, "Okay then. Come on, let's get going!" Piplup nodded and followed him out of the room.

As he followed Chimchar to the morning meeting, which was taking place on the second floor of the guild this morning, Piplup's thoughts wandered back to the expedition. After promising to keep quiet about Uxie and the Time Gear he was protecting, Team HBM departed after the guild was done packing up their camping supplies near the edge of Foggy Forest. Mike had mentioned that they had some important work to take care of and that they needed to properly add Xaomora to the team. From what they had been told, Piplup and Chimchar gathered that they were going back to looking for the Third Suns, as well as get Xaomora her own bag and unique HBM identifier.

Although Wigglytuff and some of the other guild members were upset to see them go, they understood that, as their own team, the HBMs had their own agenda to deal with and didn't want to get in the way of things. Before he left, Mike promised they would try to stop by Treasure Town as soon as they could, saying that it seemed like a nice place to hang out. He also whispered to Piplup that they would be on the lookout for anything that might be a clue to helping him figure out who he is. He and his team then took off, heading north while the guild headed northwest towards Mt. Horn.

Coming back to the moment, Piplup realized he and Chimchar were approaching the meeting spot. He moved behind Chimchar as Chatot began to lead the guild members in the morning words of encouragement. A few moments later, they all said, "AND… THREE! SMILES GO FOR MILES!"

Chatot spoke, "Okay, Pokémon! Time to get to work!" Everyone cheered at that before moving off to get started for the day, leaving Piplup and Chimchar alone with Chatot.

Chimchar turned to Piplup and said, "I guess it's time to get back to our guild training, Piplup! Let's work hard at it!" Piplup nodded in response.

Chatot hopped over and chirped, "Now that's what I like to see! A lot of morning pep! Impressive! Let's see you put that pep to good use today!"

Suddenly, all three of them heard Loudred yell, "WHAT? You can't identify the footprint? What do you MEAN?"

As Piplup, Chimchar, and Chatot made their way over to Loudred, they heard Diglett call back, "I'm trying to tell you! I can't identify what I don't know…"

Chatot landed on the ground near Loudred and asked, "What's wrong?"

Loudred turned to him and explained, "We have a Pokémon visitor up top whose footprint we can't identify! Diglett is an outstanding sentry, so it's rare for him to be stumped by footprints!" Gesturing towards Piplup and Chimchar, he added, "If THOSE two were doing sentry duty, it wouldn't be so surprising…"

Piplup glared, "Hey, we may not be the guild's regular gatekeepers, but the few times we've done it, we've managed to get all the visitors right! Don't go acting like we're completely incompetent in this line of work!"

Before anyone could say anything more, they all heard Diglett ask, "…Hmmm? …Say again? You want to meet our Guildmaster?" Looking back at the hole leading to the lookout spot, they heard Diglett say, "Your name is… Dusknoir? Oh! Please, wait just a moment!"

Chatot exclaimed, "Dus… Dusknoir?"

Loudred gasped, "The world-famous Dusknoir?"

Chimchar looked at Piplup and asked, "Do you think it could be the same Dusknoir we met back on Mt. Horn?"

Piplup looked back at him and murmured, "Maybe…"

**A few minutes later…**

Wigglytuff happily shook Dusknoir's hand, saying, "Thank you for visiting! What an honor!"

Dusknoir, while returning the handshake, calmly replied, "No, no! Think nothing of it! The honor is all mine! There is no greater pleasure than visiting Wigglytuff's Guild! It's famous!"

As Dusknoir continued talking with Wigglytuff, Piplup leaned over to Chimchar and whispered, "Yep, he's definitely the same Dusknoir we met. Though he does seem a little more talkative than when we met him."

Chimchar shrugged, "Maybe he's being a bit more open because he's talking to Guildmaster Wigglytuff?"

Sunflora heard him and said, "Oh yes, the Guildmaster does have that effect on others! Even those he's met for the first time!"

Turning back to Wigglytuff and Dusknoir, Team Poképals saw the Gripper Pokémon nod and heard him say, "…I see. Well, that must have been quite a disappointment for your guild!"

Wigglytuff nodded cheerily, "Yes, that expedition was a waste of time! Didn't learn a thing about anything!"

Dusknoir said, "I had heard that Wigglytuff's Guild was mounting an expedition to find Fogbound Lake; I think I even met a few of your guild members while they were on their way to Foggy Forest. I came here hoping to hear about your latest triumph…"

Wigglytuff replied, "Sorry! We didn't learn a thing!"

Dusknoir shook his head, "Not at all! It's no trouble to me! This gave me an opportunity to visit you! I plan to stay in Treasure Town a short while. May I visit with you occasionally during my stay? Your guild constantly receives the latest news. Good information would be a big help on my explorations!"

Wigglytuff nodded, "No problem! Other exploration teams visit us all the time. You're always welcome here!" Turning to the rest of the guild, he said, "Everyone! This is Dusknoir! He's going to stay in Treasure Town for a while. Mind yourself around him! Dusknoir is very famous and quite knowledgeable… So I bet everyone would like to get advice from him! But let's not overdo it! We don't want to be a nuisance!"

Chatot spoke up, "Now, everyone, our guest might be famous, but don't embarrass us by asking him for autographs!"

Dusknoir said, "No, no! If it's autographs you want, I'm sure that I can oblige!" Turning to face the rest of the guild, he continued, "But information? You flatter me, I'm afraid. I have very little information. However, I would be delighted if I may be of service to you. If there is anything you wish to ask of me, please don't hesitate." Everyone cheered for him at that.

After the cheering died down, Chatot said, "Come now, everyone! You're dismissed!"

As everyone began to mingle about, Dusknoir turned to Wigglytuff and Chatot and said, "I think I'll go for a stroll in Treasure Town. Please do feel free to approach me with anything. Good day!" He then floated up the nearby ladder, heading for the guild's exit.

After a moment, Chatot hopped over to Piplup and Chimchar and said, "Oh! You two! I'd started saying earlier… about your assignment for today… Today I want you to read over the Job Bulletin Board and the Outlaw Notice Board and take some of the listed jobs! That will do." Both Piplup and Chimchar nodded and headed over to the ladder, Chimchar climbing up first. As he started up behind the fire monkey, Piplup still felt that there was something very familiar about Dusknoir and his mannerisms…

* * *

Well, look at that! I finally updated! And it's... kind of a boring update, I know. Sorry, guys. I think it's about time I got back to my regular updates, don't you? Yes, I think so.


	15. Errand, Surprise Reunion

The torches to the sides of the entrance to the Wigglytuff Guild burned brightly under the starry sky, illuminating the Wigglytuff head atop the tent in the darkness. It was late and the Guild had locked up for the night, all of the apprentices fast asleep after another hard day of work. Piplup and Chimchar had tried to take care of as many jobs as they could during the daylight hours, as did Sunflora, Bidoof, and Corphish, Loudred and Diglett had had plenty of visiting guests to identify and allow in, and Dugtrio had many new jobs that had piled up during the guild's expedition to post on the boards. All in all, everyone was exhausted by the end of the day and quickly fell asleep after dinner.

A trio of shadowy figures approached the guild as the moon reached its midnight position. They stayed out of the light coming from the torches, but if one were to look with the aid of the moonlight, they would be able to tell that it was Skuntank, Koffing, and Zubat of Team Skull.

As Skuntank stood a short distance away from the grate in front of the entrance, Zubat turned to him and worriedly said, "Ch-Ch-Chief… We were really put in our place on that last expedition… Urk!"

Skuntank shook in anger as he said, "Chaw-haw-haw… Wigglytuff wrecked us… And I'm not about to let it go! So humiliating! I need payback… one way or another." He then sighed, "But, to be brutally honest, we don't stand a chance against Wigglytuff." He growled, "Grrrrrr! I'm so furious! It's burning me up!"

Koffing turned to him and said, "Whoa-ho-ho! There's gotta be some way we can get back at 'em!"

Zubat added, "Heh-heh-heh! I'd settle for picking on wimps." His face then looked excited, as though he had thought of a great idea, and he said, "Oh! Hey! Instead of Wigglytuff, how about we take revenge on the wimps in that Team Poképals?"

Skuntank's face lit up at that and he turned to look at Zubat, saying, "Chaw-haw! That's a great idea!"

Koffing added, "Whoa-ho-ho! And we know that Team Poképals is wimpy! But what about those Team HBM guys, though?"

Skuntank replied, "Those guys weren't a part of the guild. Wigglytuff's the one who allowed them to be a part of the expedition. We COULD mess with them, but I think it would be much more satisfying to mess with Team Poképals instead." He then smirked, "Time to do some plotting, boys! Chaw-haw-haw!" The three of them then walked away from the guild, disappearing into the night.

**The next morning…**

"UP AND AT 'EM! IT'S MORNING!" Loudred yelled his usual wake-up call into Team Poképals' room. He stomped his feet on the ground a few times before turning around and leaving the room. Piplup and Chimchar, although both groggy and annoyed (Piplup in particular), got up after Loudred left and gathered their gear, putting on their Joy Ribbon and Defense Scarf respectively before leaving their room and joining the rest of the guild out in front.

* * *

"Three!"

"SMILES GO FOR MILES!"

"Okay, Pokémon! Time to get to work!" Everyone let out a cheer at the end of the morning words of encouragement, everyone following Wigglytuff and Chatot back into the guild to get to work for the day.

As Piplup and Chimchar were looking over the Job Bulletin Board, Chatot flew up from the floor below and called to them, "Oh! You two!" They turned to look at the Music Note Pokémon as he flew over and landed in front of them. He then said, "Before you get to work today, I'd like you to run an errand."

Chimchar asked, "An errand?"

Chatot nodded, "Yes, an errand! Go to the Kecleon Market and ask the owners if they plan to stock Perfect Apples."

Piplup asked, "You mean the Kecleon Brothers' Shopping Wares? You want us to find out if they plan on selling Perfect Apples?"

Chatot waved a wing, "That's just their fancy name for their shop, but yes. The guild's storage holds many Perfect Apples. Or at least it can… But the Guildmaster raids the storage when we're not looking and uses up our supply. Unfortunately, having to search for a fresh load of them is always a chore. Sending an exploration team to Apple Woods when the supply runs out is just too much work. And if the supply couldn't be restocked on the same day because no Perfect Apples could be found, AGAIN…"

Piplup managed to refrain from rolling his eyes at what Chatot was hinting at, but Chimchar didn't even seem to notice. "But if the Kecleon brothers started stocking Perfect Apples, we could just go buy them!" he said.

Chatot smiled, "Precisely!"

Chimchar nodded, "Okay. We'll go ask them."

Chatot replied, "Excellent! Way to take charge! I eagerly await your report!" He then flew away, flying back down the ladder to the lower level. Chimchar and Piplup nodded at each other, deciding to leave their job selection until after they were done in Treasure Town. So they headed for the ladder they had climbed down a few minutes ago and climbed up it, heading outside.

After climbing down the staircase at the front of the guild, Piplup and Chimchar hung a right and headed into Treasure Town. They passed by Duskull Bank, Marowak Dojo, Chansey's Day Care, and the Electivire Link Shop before crossing the bridge to the west side of town. As they reached the other side of the bridge, they noticed someone standing at the counter of the Kecleon brothers' shop, someone familiar. "Hey, isn't that Dusknoir?" Chimchar wondered before continuing forward, Piplup following him after a moment.

As they got closer, both Dusknoir and the Kecleon brothers noticed them, Dusknoir saying when they reached the counter, "Hello there! Ah, it's you two! You're from the guild, if I'm not mistaken?"

Chimchar smiled, "Yes. We're Team Poképals. It's great that you remembered us!" He then asked, "So what are you doing in town, Dusknoir, sir? Shopping?"

Dusknoir shook his head, "No, no. I was simply enjoying a chat!"

The green Kecleon said, "I hailed him down! The great Dusknoir is so very famous. We started a conversation! And what a surprising talk! The great Dusknoir is so worldly and wise. I'm thoroughly impressed!"

Chimchar looked back at Dusknoir and spoke, "I guess the rumors are true. Dusknoir, sir, you really must be as knowledgeable as they say!"

The purple Kecleon asked, "If I may ask, is there anything we can do for you, Chimchar and Piplup? Have you come to shop?"

Piplup replied, "Uh, no. We're actually running an errand for Chatot right now. He wanted to know if you were planning on stocking Perfect Apples in your store."

The green Kecleon said, "Hmm… I see… I am sorry to disappoint you. We have no plans to stock Perfect Apples."

Chimchar sighed, "Oh, all right. That's too bad. Chatot will be disappointed with this news…"

Piplup asked, "Do you have any regular apples that we could buy for later? Seeing as we interrupted your conversation and everything…"

The green Kecleon perked up, "Oh yes! I have some in the back! Wait right here!" He headed into the backroom of the shop and came back out with a pair of red apples.

As Chimchar brought out the Poké for the apples, everyone heard the voice of Marill call, "Azurill, hurry!"

They heard Azurill call back, "Wait for me!"

Looking to the side, everyone saw the two brothers run past Kangaskhan Storage. As they passed the front of the shop, the green Kecleon called, "The Marill and Azurill brothers! Well, hello to you both!"

The two brothers came to a stop at the sound of the Kecleon's voice and turned to look at him and his brother. "Oh! Hi, Kecleon brothers!" Azurill said.

"Oh! And Team Poképals too!" Marill added.

Piplup asked, "What's going on? What's the rush?"

Marill replied, "You know how we've been looking for our lost item?"

Chimchar asked, "Lost item? You mean the same one you were looking for before?"

Marill nodded, "Yes! An item called the Water Float!"

Dusknoir spoke, "A Water Float? Now that is quite the precious item!"

Marill replied, "Yes! That's why we've been looking hard for it for a long time."

Azurill added, "And then! Someone said they saw a Water Float on the beach today!"

Marill said, "We're rushing to the beach now!"

Unbeknownst to anyone, Koffing and Zubat were listening in on the conversation. Zubat turned to Koffing and said, "Heh-heh-heh! Juicy tidbit!"

Koffing replied, "Whoa-ho-ho! Could be useful for our plan!"

Zubat nodded, "We'll bring the Chief up to speed, then get the jump on them." The two of them then took off, heading in the direction of the Wigglytuff Guild.

Back at the Kecleon brothers' shop, Chimchar said, "That's great! I'm glad to hear that it's finally turned up!"

Both Marill and Azurill nodded. Marill then turned to Azurill and said, "Come on, Azurill! Let's go quick!" Azurill nodded and they both headed for the beach.

As everyone watched them go, Chimchar commented, "I was wondering how those little brothers were doing with their item search. Good for them. Looks like they've found it."

The green Kecleon said, "I've never heard of a Water Float. What purpose does it serve?"

Dusknoir explained, "A Water Float is an item specifically for Azurill. The easiest way to get one is by trading precious treasures again and again. As such, it is said to be an exceedingly rare item."

The green Kecleon gasped, "Gah! Is that so? Our line of work is buying and selling! But we have never heard of it. So it must be exceedingly rare!"

The purple Kecleon added, "To sell such a rare item! I'm afraid such a day will never come."

Chimchar gasped, "Oh, that's right!" He turned to Piplup and said, "We have to report back to Chatot about the Perfect Apples!"

Piplup nodded, "Right!" Chimchar gave the Kecleon brothers the money for the apples and placed them in their Treasure Bag. They then hurried back to the guild, saying goodbye to the Kecleon brothers and Dusknoir as they ran.

**Soon, back at the Wigglytuff Guild**

"What? They have no plans to stock the Perfect Apples?" Chatot exclaimed. Looking off to the side, he held a wing to his temple as he said, "Squawk! What am I supposed to do now?"

Chimchar suggested, "Um… We could go get some Perfect Apples for you at Apple Woods…"

Chatot turned back to them and said, "What? You're joking! You've previously gone to Apple Woods… And you almost failed! What if you fail for real? I just wouldn't be able to take that!" He shook his head, "…I'm sorry. You two were outstanding on our recent expedition. I recognize everything that you've done for us. But when the Guildmaster can't get his Perfect Apples… It's not a pretty scene. I have some bad memories from when it's happened previously." Looking over to the side, he murmured, "Squawk! I suppose I'll have to find the Perfect Apples myself…" Turning back to Team Poképals, he said, "You two should just look over the Job Bulletin Board and the Outlaw Notice Board as usual." He then flew off to the upper level of the guild.

Piplup sighed, "Well, he's clearly disappointed…"

Chimchar turned to him and said, "At least it's not because of something we did or didn't do this time. And he's not taking our dinner tonight away or anything." Piplup looked back at him as he went on, "Let's get back to the boards and see what kind of jobs we can handle for the day." Piplup nodded and they both headed to the guild's upper level to resume their job search. As they reached the top of the ladder, they noticed Team Razor Wind in front of the Outlaw Notice Board and wisely decided to stick to the Job Bulletin Board for the day.

**Later that night, at Fogbound Lake…**

"Urgh…" Uxie groaned as he breathed in a cloud of Stun Spore, his psychic powers beginning to waver as he began to slump down to the ground beneath him. As he struggled to hold himself up on his hands and knees, he murmured, "I knew it… I knew I shouldn't have trusted them."

Out of the shadows near the lake entrance, Grovyle and an Umbreon stepped out, approaching Uxie. Grovyle remained focused on the lake as he walked forward, but as he passed Uxie, he asked, "What do you mean?"

Uxie grunted as he was pushed onto his back by the Umbreon, his eyes glowing blue as he attempted to use a Confusion attack. Unfortunately, the attack had hardly, if any, effect on the Umbreon looking down at him. Realizing the Dark-type would simply block any Psychic-type attacks he tried to use, Uxie said, "You've come here to steal the Time Gear… And they're the only ones who know about it… I should have done it… I should have taken their memories when I had the chance…"

Grovyle was silent for a moment as he stood at the edge of the lake before saying, "I don't know exactly what you're talking about… But you're wrong. No one led us here. No one told us about this place. We've known about the presence of a Time Gear here… for a long time." Looking back at Uxie, he said, "We have no quarrel with you, Uxie. But we are taking it with us. The third Time Gear!"

Uxie began to struggle anew at that, but stopped when the Umbreon placed a paw on his head. He looked up at the Dark-type as it spoke in Karnak's voice, "Just relax. You'll be fighting fit in the morning. Now…" His eyes began to glow red as he looked deep into Uxie's eyes. "Sleep~."

* * *

Grovyle sighed to himself as he made his way back to the forest where he, Celebi, Karnak, Drake, and Errol were hiding out. "_How long have we actually been holed up in this forest since we escaped? Are we wasting our non-existent time and simply delaying the inevitable?_" he wondered. That was one of the downsides to living in a world where time has stopped: you have only your body's natural clocks to rely on. And unfortunately, Drake, Errol, and Karnak's clocks were all totally out of synch with each other. It made it difficult to put together any long-term plans to start looking into the planet's paralysis.

Grovyle shifted his arms to make sure he didn't drop any of the food he was carrying as he passed by a collection of trees on the outskirts of the forest. He muttered, "There has to be some way to get them all to be fairly consistent with their habits so we can look into this matter, or at least get Drake to treat everyone better. I have no idea what happened to him in my absence, but his attitude is most likely the thing that's going to drive this group apart. Seems like he's either starting up something or at someone's throat every moment he's awake."

A few seconds after Grovyle passed by the last tree, he heard the sound of leaves rustling behind him. His eyes widened and then narrowed as he whirled around, yelling, "Who goes there?" He stared directly at the last tree he passed, but nothing happened. No response, no more rustling… just silence. Grovyle eyed the tree's leaves suspiciously; there was no way they could've rustled on their own. Since there was no normal wind in this world, the only thing that could've shaken those leaves was another Pokémon. After a few moments of silence, Grovyle turned back around slowly, thinking it might have been a stray Cherrim or Combee.

But even he knew better than to think that. Before he could start moving again, the leaves rustled again as four purple figures leapt out of the tree's leaves, filling the air with shrill shrieks. Grovyle immediately whirled around, knowing the shrieks could only belong to Sableye, and fired off a Bullet Seed at the Darkness Pokémon. Unfortunately, all four of them dodged the attack as they fell towards Grovyle and landed on him, pushing the wood gecko to the ground and causing him to drop everything in his arms.

"Wheh-heh-heh! We've got you now, Grovyle! You managed to hide this long, but it's over now!" one of the Sableye said.

"You really shouldn't have run away like that, Grovyle. Master Dusknoir has missed you terribly, you know," another Sableye added.

Grovyle grunted and opened his eyes, glaring up at the Sableye as he spoke, "I've really missed Dusknoir too. In fact, I wasn't done missing him yet. So why don't you four get lost and save yourselves the humiliation?"

One of the other Sableye said, "Wheh-heh-heh! You sure like to talk big, Grovyle, even when you're the one who's at a disadvantage!"

The last Sableye asked, "Do you actually think you can escape from the position you're in?"

Grovyle calmly replied, "You don't think I can? Very well; I was hoping I wouldn't have to get rough with you, but since you won't back off…" Suddenly, Grovyle shifted his weight and pushed himself off the ground, spinning as he went up and forcing the Sableye off of him. As he spun around, he used Leaf Blade, the leaves on his forearms turning into sharp blades that slashed at the Sableye, knocking them away. As he came back down, Grovyle pressed his hands against the ground and pushed off, going back up as he fired a Bullet Seed at the still-airborne Sableye and sending them flying.

Landing on his feet, Grovyle dusted his arms off and said, "There's your answer. Now are you going to leave quietly, or would you like me to humiliate you further?"

The Sableye managed to climb to their feet, struggling to do so thanks to Grovyle's surprise attacks. "We can't go back to Master Dusknoir like this," the second one groaned.

"Grovyle might be strong, but we still outnumber him. We can outlast him!" the first one said.

"Let's get him!" the other two Sableye said.

Grovyle gritted his teeth as two of the Sableye leapt up towards him and fired Night Shade at him, four black beams outlined in dark red coming at him. He dashed under the two attacks, the beams exploding when they hit the ground, and brought his hands close together. "_Let's see if this works…_" he thought to himself as he leapt up, a green sphere of energy beginning to form between his hands. He then brought his hands forward and shouted "Energy Ball!" as he launched the sphere at the two Sableye that attacked him. The attack exploded against one and the other was caught in the explosion, sending them both crashing to the ground.

But there was still the other two Sableye to worry about! As soon as Grovyle touched the ground, they leapt at him with Fury Swipes, slashing at his front and arms with their claws. Grovyle grunted in pain for a few seconds before swinging the leaf on his head around, managing to knock one Sableye away with a Pound attack. The other Sableye managed to leap over the attack and retaliated with a Zen Headbutt. Grovyle fell to the ground and the Sableye leapt at him with a Shadow Claw ready. Grovyle quickly recovered and brought out both Leaf Blades, using one to deflect the Shadow Claw and the other to slash at the Sableye, knocking it away.

Grovyle took the chance to breathe and looked himself over. The Sableye had left some bad scratch marks on him and a mark where the Zen Headbutt hit, but nothing that appeared to be life-threatening. Looking back up at the Sableye, he saw that they were all starting to get up off the ground. He muttered to himself, "They never do things the easy way, do they?" He shook his arms and held them in front of him, readying himself.

The fighting continued for some time, but as the Sableye had thought, Grovyle was beginning to wear himself out from trying to get them to either run away or stay down. Realizing this, Grovyle began to dodge individual attacks until all the Sableye tried to attack him at once. After avoiding their attack, he slashed at them with his Leaf Blades and quickly followed it up with an Energy Ball, sending them flying. Wasting no time, he turned and ran for the forest, the Sableye looking up to see him disappear amongst the trees.

Grovyle ran as fast as he could, his yellow eyes scanning over the path in front of him as he ran, occasionally glancing back to see if the Sableye had caught up to him yet. During one of the times he was looking back, he suddenly crashed into something. He initially thought it was a tree, but that idea was dashed when he realized that it was much softer than a tree, whatever it was, and it gave a surprised cry as he fell onto his back.

Grovyle shook his head and then sat up, looking to see what he hit. He inwardly gasped at what was sprawled on the ground; it was a human! He quickly looked it over. The human was a young male, wearing brown and black shoes, dark blue jeans, and a red jacket with short white sleeves and a black collar that was sticking up over a long-sleeved black shirt. He also had a tan backpack with him and short brown hair. The hair was what caught Grovyle's attention; it looked familiar. The human opened his eyes, revealing them to be blue, and looked at the wood gecko. He gasped, "Grovyle?"

Grovyle's eyes widened at the sound of his voice. "You… Aren't you…?" he asked. Suddenly, they both heard the sound of the Sableye laughing, breaking the otherwise still forest air. Grovyle's eyes narrowed and he glanced back, growling, "Shoot! The Sableye are coming!"

The human got up on one knee and asked, "Grovyle, what's going on?"

The wood gecko replied, "The Sableye tried to ambush me, and now they're coming this way, trying to recapture me!" He stood up and said, "You have to get out of here. If they see us together, they'll try to capture us both!"

Grovyle turned and started to run past the human when the boy called, "W-wait, Grovyle!" The wood gecko came to a stop at that and looked back at him, an impatient look on his face. The human said, "M-maybe I can help you!"

Grovyle asked, "How?"

The boy stood up and replied, "I know an area up ahead where we could throw the Sableye off your trail! I-if you're willing to try it?"

Grovyle raised an eyebrow, "Are you sure we'll be able to lose them?"

The human answered, "N-not completely. But you're not going to let them chase you through the whole forest, are you?"

Grovyle grunted; the kid did bring up a good point. The Sableye weren't going to give up the chase easily if they kept running, and it'd be easier to corner him once they ran out of forest. Nodding to himself, Grovyle ran over to the human and took his hand, saying, "All right. Whatever you're thinking of, let's give it a try." He looked up at the human when he didn't move and noticed the faraway look in his eyes. Grovyle gave him a shake and said, "Hey! Are you okay?"

The boy shook his head and replied, "Sorry about that. I kind of blanked out for a second." He then started to run, pulling Grovyle behind him as he said, "It's this way! Come on!" As they ran through the forest, the human thought to himself, "_What was that just now?_"

* * *

I made a concept for how Piplup looked as a human some time ago, and that's how he's going to look for the rest of this story. Here's the link to it: greensonic21. deviantart art/ Piplup-Human-Concept-207164112

And that's about it. Since this is a short chapter that's just setting things up, I didn't think of any music. Once things start up again, I'll start posting music again.


	16. Evasion, Taking the Bait

The four Sableye hissed softly as they walked across a stone path, their diamond-like eyes scanning everything carefully as they searched for Grovyle. Their clawed feet clicked softly as they walked across the stone, the stone showing the path that led to the innermost part of the forest. The stone spread out into a circular shape at the end of the path, marking the location of the deepest part of the forest.

One of the Sableye looked to his right at the leader and asked, "Do you think Grovyle got out of the forest already?"

The leader replied, "Not likely. His scent and that other scent went this way. If Grovyle and whoever he's with came this deep into the forest, there's no chance they could've gotten away just yet."

One of the other Sableye came up along the leader's right and suggested, "What if they used an Orb to get out?"

The leader thought for a moment before saying, "Possible, but with as dark as this forest is, we should've been able to see them use it, even from a distance. They're here somewhere, and we're not leaving until we know Grovyle is gone. Now spread out and search!" At his command, the Sableye dispersed, the leader continuing forward while the other three moved off to the sides.

As he approached two trees along the sides of the path, the leader spotted something moving past them and quickly said, "Hold it right there!"

Moving closer, the Sableye recognized the moving object as a human, the human that Grovyle had seemingly befriended. The human was down on his knees between two stones that stood in front of a small pond, looking down at the water as he moved his hands through it, his shirt sleeves rolled up past his elbows. His backpack and shoes were off to the right (though the Sableye couldn't see them since they were behind one of the stones), and he wasn't wearing his jacket or any socks. The human looked back over his right shoulder as the Sableye came closer and said, "Oh, hello, uh, Sableye. I, uh, didn't hear you coming." He looked back at the pond in front of him.

The leader Sableye quickly hopped up on the stone to the human's right and looked at him carefully. Looking at the human carefully, he smirked, "You're that human that was brought to Master Dusknoir and escaped! That was some time ago…" He then leaned closer and demanded, "Where's Grovyle?!"

The human was a bit surprised that the Sableye recognized him, but part of him had a feeling Dusknoir wouldn't forget him easily. He shook his head, "I don't know. We went our separate ways after that whole chase thing. I haven't seen him since."

The Sableye raised an eye at the human's response and then glanced down at the water and the way the human's hands were close to the surface, the human following his gaze. The Sableye sniffed the air for a moment before pointing down at the water with his right claw, "What's in there?"

The human lifted a white sock up out of the water with his right hand and held it up in front of the Sableye, "Laundry. This is where I come to do it." He smirked slightly as the Sableye recoiled, gasping and placing his claws over his nose area while the human threw the sock atop the stone on his left.

The Sableye hopped down from the stone, still holding his breath as he walked away and muttered, "You humans are gross." He didn't get far when he heard the sound of coughing and sputtering and whirled around to look at the human, the boy quickly pushing something under the water in front of him and looking back over his shoulder at the Sableye, grinning nervously.

The Sableye leader eyed him suspiciously for a moment before one of the other Sableye called behind him, "Ah, we can't find any trace of Grovyle or whoever he was moving with. What do we do now?"

The leader glanced back at him and the other two Sableye for a second before looking back at the human. He then walked over to the stone next to the human and hopped up on it again, looking at the boy's face intently. After a moment, he said, "I'll tell you what, human. I see no reason for Master Dusknoir to know about our little encounter here, so I'll keep quiet about it… for now. But you'd better not step out of line, or your 'laundry' won't be the only thing hanging out to dry." Snickering a bit, he jumped down from the stone and walked back towards his fellow Sableye, saying, "Let's go. We're leaving." Although confused, the other Sableye followed his lead, beginning to make their way out of the forest. As they quickly went back the way they came, the leader thought, "_Master Dusknoir will definitely want to hear about this…_"

Back in the clearing, the human remained still until he was certain that the Sableye had left, at which point his hands went beneath the water, grabbing something and pulling it up. The object was revealed to be Grovyle, the Wood Gecko Pokémon coughing and sputtering almost as soon as he was above the surface of the water. The human patted him on the back to help him get the water out and said, "They're gone."

Grovyle coughed one last time before looking up at the boy, "Well, that's a relief. I honestly didn't think that would work." He gladly took the human's hand to help him up, the water dripping down onto the grass as he stood up. He then looked up at him, "Thanks." He noticed the faraway look in the human's eyes after a moment and shook him gently, "Hey! Are you all right?"

The human stirred at his shaking, "Huh? What? Oh! Sorry, Grovyle. I, uh, thought I saw something just now."

Grovyle looked confused, "What kind of something?"

The human shook his head, "I don't know. It wasn't clear, but I don't think I've ever seen anything like it before." He raised his left hand to his forehead, "Something similar happened when we started running from those Sableye too, but if felt stronger this time…"

Grovyle looked at him worriedly, "Are you feeling okay?"

The human looked back at him, "I think so…" He reached down into the water and pulled out his jacket and his other sock, shaking them both and twisting them to help get the water out of them. Giving a sigh, he shook his sock before sitting down, starting to pull the sock on before looking at Grovyle and saying, "This sure turned out to be an interesting trip. But I think the Sableye are gone now, so it should be safe to leave."

Grovyle glanced at the stone next to him and grabbed the sock off of it in his left claw, looking down at it for a moment before handing it to the human, who gratefully took it from him. While watching him, Grovyle asked, "What have you been doing since we last saw each other?"

The human looked surprised, stopping in the middle of pulling on his sock. He stammered while slowly resuming what he was doing, "I… I, um…" He trailed off, looking away.

After a moment, Grovyle placed his right claw on the boy's left arm and said, "Listen… If you're uncomfortable about answering me, you don't have to. I just… I was worried about you after you left. It's a relief to me that you're all right." They both sat in silence for a moment, the human realizing he was also relieved to see Grovyle again.

The moment was ruined when a voice called, "Grovyle?! Grovyle! Where are you, buddy?!" Grovyle shot up and turned to look towards where the voice came from while the human stayed on the ground, grabbing his shoes and slipping them on, tying them as fast as he could. After a few moments, a familiar Sandslash appeared, dashing towards them. "Oh, there you are! Thank goodness!" Karnak exclaimed.

Grovyle sighed, relaxing slightly as he grunted, "Karnak. What are you doing here?"

Karnak answered, "We were starting to get worried about you, so I decided to look for you myself. Celebi wanted to come too, but I told her to stay safe. Good thing too; I saw some Sableye go running through the forest earlier. That made me even more worried that something had happened to you." After he finished speaking, the human stood up straight, guessing that it was safe to reveal himself, and began to put his jacket on. Karnak instantly noticed and asked, "What's this? You find another human, Grovyle?"

While glancing back at the boy, the wood gecko replied, "No, this is the same one we escaped with. He just has some new clothes."

Karnak nodded, "Ah, right. Humans don't always wear the same clothes." He waved at the boy, "Hey!"

The human waved back awkwardly, "Uh… hi, uh, Karnak."

Karnak nodded, "I'm glad you're both okay." He then relaxed a bit before turning to Grovyle and asking, "So did you manage to find some food, Grovyle? It's grub time, man!"

Grovyle rubbed the back of his head as he replied, "Actually, those Sableye you saw were probably the same ones that attacked me. They made me drop what I collected and I had to run because they wouldn't give up. I can't remember where I dropped the food…"

Karnak looked disappointed until the human spoke up, "Actually, I've got some extra food in my backpack. If you guys want some, I can share it with you."

Grovyle turned to him, "Are you sure?"

The human nodded, "Yeah. I was actually collecting food myself when you bumped into me, but I should have plenty extra."

Karnak spoke, "If you say so, kid. But, uh, if you don't mind, could we go discuss this somewhere else?" He glanced around as he added, "There's something weird about this part of the forest…"

Grovyle looked back at him, "I can feel something too, Karnak. But where should we go? I don't want to leave him alone again, but I don't want Drake seeing him and getting upset again either." The human flinched slightly at that, remembering the anger the Gabite had directed towards him.

Karnak replied, "I get what you're saying, Grovyle, but I don't think we should leave him behind either, especially if the Sableye start taking an interest in him, and if we don't get back soon, they're going to come looking for us and find out anyway." He shook his head, "Let's just hope whatever Bug Pokémon crawled between Drake's scales gets out soon."

Grovyle considered his words before turning to the human and saying, "Come on. Let's get out of here. Just stay close to me and Karnak, especially when we meet up with the others." The human nodded after a moment and grabbed his backpack, slipping his arms through the straps. He and Grovyle then walked over to Karnak, the Sandslash leading the way back and keeping an eye open for any Sableye stragglers.

* * *

Piplup and Chimchar walked across light brown grass, coming to a stop in front of two stone slabs that had fissures running through them. Taking a moment to look up at the sky full of gray clouds above them and then down at the Wonder Map, Chimchar rolled the map back up and put it in the Treasure Bag, turning to Piplup and saying, "This must be the Amp Plains."

Piplup looked at him and nodded, "Yeah." Looking back at the stones in front of them that marked the entrance, he said, "I don't think I've ever been too fond of bullies. I can't believe something like this could happen to Marill and Azurill."

Chimchar nodded, furrowing his brow, "I know. Threatening little kids like those brothers really stinks." Putting on a determined look, he said, "We have to get their Water Float back, Piplup!" The former human nodded and followed behind Chimchar, looking up towards the clouds as he remembered what brought them to this place.

_**Flashback**_

_Following the Wigglytuff Guild's morning words of encouragement, the apprentices all dispersed to take care of their tasks for the day. Before Piplup and Chimchar could pick a job off of either the Outlaw Notice Board or Job Bulletin Board, they were called by Loudred, who told them they had visitors waiting for them at the front of the guild. Curious, both Chimchar and Piplup climbed the ladders to the guild entrance, wondering who it could be._

_Once they got outside, the two young explorers found out it was Marill and Azurill! "Chimchar, Piplup! Hi there!" Azurill exclaimed._

_Chimchar smiled, "Oh! Hi there, Marill and Azurill! Are you two the visitors Loudred mentioned?"_

_Marill nodded, "Yep! We wanted to ask Team Poképals for help."_

_Piplup asked, "What kind of help?"_

_Azurill explained, "We need your help finding a Water Float."_

_Chimchar asked, "Water Float? Isn't that what you two were looking for earlier?"_

_Marill nodded, "Yep! Someone said one was lying on the beach. We went there looking for it!" He frowned, "But we didn't find it. Instead, we found this." He brought his bouncy tail around to his front, a piece of paper draped over the end of it. It slid off a second later, landing on the ground._

_Chimchar and Piplup looked down at it, Chimchar saying, "This scrap of paper? It looks like there's writing on it." He walked over to it and picked it up with his left hand, holding it in front of him. "Let's see… 'The Water Float from the beach is now in our possession. Just try to take it from us! We'll wait in the deepest part of the Amp Plains. But knowing how weak and puny you are, I bet you can't even reach us! Chaw-haw-haw! Can't handle it? Go cry to your big-shot friends! Chaw-haw-haw!'"_

_Piplup gasped, "What the - ?!"_

_Chimchar exclaimed, "Hey! This note! It's a… It's a ransom note, isn't it?!"_

_Piplup looked at Marill and Azurill, "You guys didn't try to go to this Amp Plains place, did you?!"_

_Chimchar looked at them as well and added, "It sounds like a trap!"_

_Marill replied, "But the Water Float is very important to us. We really want to get it back. But I can't take Azurill to such a dangerous place."_

_Azurill looked at Marill as he said, "I said I would go too!"_

_Marill looked back at him, "It's too much for you. I don't want you getting into any scary scrapes." He then looked back at Piplup and Chimchar and said, "I went to Amp Plains by myself. But many Electric-type Pokémon live there! I'm no match for them." He whimpered, "I tried going many times. But I get knocked out right away… I just c-c-can't stand how weak I am…"_

_Chimchar perked up, "No problem! I know what to do! We'll go get the Water Float back for you."_

_Azurill gasped, "Really?!"_

_Marill added, "You will?!"_

_Chimchar nodded, "Yeah!" He looked at Piplup, "Right, Piplup?"_

_Piplup still wasn't used to being put on the spot, but he managed to answer, "Uh, yeah." He looked at Marill and Azurill, "We'll get your Water Float back, so… no more tears!"_

_Marill exclaimed, "Okay! W-We're sorry to bother you about this. Thank you!"_

_Chimchar replied, "Don't worry. We'll get it back for you. It's a promise!" He then turned to Piplup and said, "Let's go, Piplup! We're off to Amp Plains!" Piplup nodded in response._

_**End flashback**_

Piplup was pulled out of his reminiscing by Chimchar yelling, "Piplup, look out!" The blue penguin faced forward, only to get hit by a Thundershock attack! After being electrocuted and exclaiming in shock, the attack ended and Piplup saw Chimchar attacking the Pokémon that launched the attack: an Elekid. Chimchar attacked the Electric Pokémon with Fury Swipes, managing to scratch it several times before it responded with a Quick Attack. The attack knocked Chimchar back, but he shook most of the damage off thanks to his Defense Scarf. He then used a Flame Wheel attack to send it flying away from the duo.

Chimchar looked at Piplup and asked, "Piplup, are you okay?"

Piplup nodded, "Y-Yeah. What about you, Chimchar?" The Chimp Pokémon nodded, prompting the former human to say, "Sorry about that. I should've been paying attention…"

Chimchar replied, "Don't worry, it's all right. Come on, let's keep going!" Piplup nodded and they started moving again, heading further into Amp Plains.

**A short while later, back at Treasure Town**

"Ah, I see! That's what happened to your Water Float! What a mean thing to do! So, Team Poképals are on their way there now, yes?" the green Kecleon brother was saying to Marill and Azurill.

Azurill nodded, "Yep!"

Marill added, "They said they would go get it for us!"

The purple Kecleon said, "Good for you! You can rest easy then!"

Marill nodded, "Yep, that's true! They once saved Azurill too. We're so grateful for their help!"

Suddenly, they all heard a voice coming from the direction of the Wigglytuff Guild, "Good day to you all. Is something the matter?" Marill, Azurill, and the Kecleon Brothers turned to see Dusknoir floating towards them, Marill moving to Azurill's side as he got closer.

The green Kecleon said, "Hello, Dusknoir, sir! We're talking about Marill's lost item. Do you remember? We discussed the very same thing here not long ago."

Dusknoir nodded, "Of course. I believe you're referring to the Water Float?" I seem to recall that you heard it was on the beach."

The green Kecleon spoke, "Exactly! Exactly! But now there is more to the story…" Both he and his brother then proceeded to explain what had happened to the Gripper Pokémon.

"I see. That is terrible indeed. It's hard to imagine why anyone would do something so wretched. It must take some pathetic thugs to stoop so low," Dusknoir commented after the Kecleon Brothers were finished speaking.

The green Kecleon angrily nodded, "I couldn't agree more! To be so mean-spirited to children! And to children as young as these brothers! It's utterly unforgivable!"

Dusknoir questioned, "One more thing… Where has Team Poképals gone?"

Marill said, "They went to Amp Plains."

For a moment, Dusknoir looked shocked by that bit of information before turning to Marill and asking, "Pardon? Did you say Amp Plains?" Marill nodded, causing Dusknoir to look off to the side and muttered, "But in Amp Plains, at this time of year… It's the season for…" His eye widened, "No! This is serious! Team Poképals is in grave danger!" This exclamation shocked Marill, Azurill, and the Kecleon Brothers, but before any of them could ask why, Dusknoir said, "I must leave for Amp Plains immediately!" He then turned and floated away at what could be considered a running speed.

"What?! Wait!" the green Kecleon shouted after the Gripper Pokémon, but if Dusknoir heard him he didn't stop.

**Soon, near the farthest reaches of the Amp Plains**

Chimchar and Piplup were resting for a minute in a secluded, safe part of the plains, taking the chance to recover from all the Pokémon they had encountered. Chimchar didn't appear to be doing too badly, but Piplup, being a Water-type, looked to be the more ravaged of the two. He had a few more scratches and black spots than Chimchar, but his expression, while a bit exhausted, showed that he wasn't ready to give up just yet.

After a few moments, Chimchar looked over at Piplup and asked, "Hey Piplup, you feel okay?"

The Penguin Pokémon nodded, "Yeah." He stood up, "Come on, let's keep going."

Chimchar nodded and stood up, "Okay. We must be pretty deep by now. Let's go cautiously." The duo turned and continued on their way, continuing on through the Amp Plains while keeping an eye out for any sign of the Water Float or whoever had left that note.

As Team Poképals continued onward, somewhere further back, a familiar Riolu and Oshawott were traveling along the same path that Piplup and Chimchar had been on. The Riolu was leading the pair, keeping his eyes peeled for anything of interest. He looked down at the two job requests in his left paw and thought about a plan for completing them both. "_So we have a Jumpluff worried about her twin sister who's lost somewhere around here, and a Pikachu that desperately wants to get his paws on a Thunder Stone._" He held his right paw close to his mouth, concerned about his next move. "_It's going to be hard to try and spot a Thunder Stone while I've got Xaomora with me. Any other HBM and I'd be able to focus on looking for that stone, but she's too inexperienced. I keep on thinking that if I look away from her for too long, she's going to be in danger._"

The Riolu sighed as he looked towards the clouds drifting above, "_Seriously, why am I so worried about her? Sure, she's a Water-type in an area full of Electric-type Pokémon, but she can redirect any attacks they throw at her right back at them. She's more than capable of…_" His thoughts were cut off as something seemingly tugged at his Aura, causing him to stop suddenly.

Xaomora didn't notice Mike's sudden stop and bumped into his backside. She let out a soft cry and backed up a bit. Rubbing her nose a little bit, she looked up at the Riolu and noticed he was standing very still; if it weren't for the fact that his locks were shaking, he could've passed for a statue. "Mike?" she ventured.

The Riolu held his right arm up slightly, "Wait…" He had his eyes closed, focusing and reaching out with his Aura. Suddenly, his eyes opened and he said, "Someone's coming this way!" He looked over to his right and spotted a rock that was big enough for both of them to hide behind. "Quick, hide!" he instructed before dashing over to the rock, the Oshawott following his lead. They both hid behind the rock, pressing their backs up against it and peering out slightly, trying to spot whoever was coming.

They soon caught a glimpse of a large, mostly black Pokémon flying past, moving fast and seemingly looking for someone or something. After it left their sight, the two were silent for a moment before the Oshawott asked, "Is that who you saw? What kind of Pokémon was that?"

Mike looked back at her, his eyes darting to the new black ribbon she had around her neck with the HBM logo printed on it as well as the new Treasure Bag she was carrying, which was the same color as the shell on her torso, and said, "Yeah, I think so. It looked like a Dusknoir. Might've been the same one Carl mentioned running into back on Mt. Horn, I don't know. If so, I wonder what he's doing here, and why he was in such a hurry." He looked back in the direction the Dusknoir had gone and thought for a moment. Eventually he said, "Xaomora."

The Oshawott looked back up at him and asked, "What is it, Mike?"

Mike grabbed the Jumpluff's request with his right paw and turned back to the Oshawott, holding it out to her. "You finish this job and get back to camp. The Pokémon you're looking for shouldn't be far. I'll investigate what that Dusknoir is doing here and finish the other job while I'm at it. Clear?"

Xaomora eagerly snatched the request out of Mike's paw and saluted him, saying "Yes sir!" and running out from behind the rock, heading off to perform her assigned task. Mike stepped out and watched her until she left his sight. Once she was gone, he stepped out onto the path and looked in the direction the Dusknoir had gone. "_Carl said that there was something weird about the Dusknoir that he, Bidoof, and Team Poképals ran into. Was he hiding something, or was he just one of those eccentric types? Either way, it's weird to see a Dusknoir in a place like this. I'd better see what he's up to… without him knowing I'm here._"

He started running in the direction the Dusknoir had been going, his eyes closed as he used his Aura to see far ahead of him and determine the safe distance from his target.

**Soon…**

Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled as Piplup and Chimchar approached a clearing at what was likely the farthest reaches of the Amp Plains. As they stepped between the rocks into the clearing, another flash of lightning was seen, startling the young explorers. "Whoa! The storms seem really intense at this part of the Amp Plains! It almost looks like lightning could strike here at any second!" Chimchar exclaimed.

As he looked around, Piplup nodded, "Yeah. There aren't a lot of tall objects here that could attract it all. I wonder how much further… huh?" While he was looking around, he spotted something lying in front of the rock wall across from them. It looked like a simple ring with a blue jewel in an indentation on top of it. "Hey, is that it? Is that the Water Float?" he asked while pointing at it.

Chimchar looked and said, "I think so, Piplup. Let's take a closer look." They started to walk forward, but suddenly the whole clearing became a lot darker! "Ah! What's going on?!" Chimchar cried.

An unknown voice demanded, "Why did you come here?! This is our territory!"

Piplup gasped, "Huh?! Who's that?!"

Chimchar pointed at a nearby rock that was taller than the two of them, "Quick, let's get behind that rock, Piplup!" They ran over to the rock and stood behind it, pressing up against it.

There was a brief flash of lightning before the mystery voice spoke, "Hee hee hee. So you think you can hide back there? That's actually kind of cute. All right; we'd actually be grateful if you kept doing that."

Piplup and Chimchar could still hear the voice after that, but it sounded like it was speaking in whispers. "What's going on? What does that mean?" Chimchar quietly wondered.

"Maybe… whoever it is, they're trying to sneak up on us!" Piplup realized.

Chimchar gasped, "What?! So then, if we stay here…" He leapt out from behind the rock, Piplup doing the same a second later, "Who are you?! Show yourself!"

The voice answered, "Ha ha ha! My name is Manectric! And I am the leader of these Electrike!" A sudden flash of lightning forced Chimchar and Piplup to shield their eyes. When they opened them, they found themselves in the middle of a circle, surrounded by Electrike! And standing a short distance away, directly in front of the explorers, was the leader, Manectric! As another bolt of lightning flashed, Manectric said, "Now, prepare to fight!"

A moment later, all the Electrike released a Howl and then leapt up, aiming for Team Poképals. "Look out, Piplup!" Chimchar cried as he dashed to the left, Piplup running to the right towards the rock. While the former human ducked behind the rock to avoid two of the Electrike that came after him with Quick Attack, Chimchar had to fend off one that tried to use Tackle on him with Fury Swipes, the Lightning Pokémon landing on its side after having its face scratched multiple times. A second one quickly followed with a Quick Attack, however, and managed to pin him to the ground, though Chimchar managed to get it off of him with a Flamethrower before it could use another attack.

As Chimchar started to sit up, he heard Manectric growl, "You shouldn't have done that!" He looked to his left to see the Discharge Pokémon dashing towards him, yellow sparks beginning to surround his body. Chimchar yelped and quickly leapt up, surrounding himself in flames as he readied a Flame Wheel. He then shot towards Manectric, meeting the larger Pokémon's Spark attack head-on. The two Pokémon collided, the electricity from Manectric's Spark moving to surround Chimchar's Flame Wheel as they pushed against each other. Manectric's attack soon overpowered Chimchar's, however, and the ball of flames was broken through, Chimchar letting out a yell as he was shocked and knocked back, landing near the rocks surrounding the clearing.

During this, Piplup was using the large rock to try to ward off the five Electrike that were attacking him with slight success. He was able to keep the ones that got around to him at bay with Pound and Hydro Pump attacks, but they weren't giving up easily. When he saw Manectric's attack connect with Chimchar, he gasped and used a Fury Attack to get through the Electrike and ran towards Chimchar as Manectric and the other three Electrike began to close in on him. The Pokémon prepared to get him while he was picking himself up, but Piplup managed to catch Manectric by surprise with a Hydro Pump from the side and broke up the surprised Electrike with another Fury Attack.

Chimchar smiled at Piplup as the former human ran over to him, "Thanks, Piplup!"

Piplup ran to Chimchar's side, the fire monkey currently on his hands and knees, and asked, "Are you okay, Chimchar?"

Chimchar stood up and said, "Uh-huh." They both then heard growling and turned to see Manectric and the Electrike getting up. Manectric lunged at them with a Bite attack, Piplup and Chimchar dashing away together to avoid his fangs, heading for the other side of the Amp Clearing. The Electrike tried to block their way, but they managed to get around them when they tried to attack them. Once they were clear, Chimchar and Piplup stopped and turned around to face the tribe, Chimchar looking at Piplup and saying, "Let's see if we can take care of the Electrike first!" Piplup nodded in agreement.

They turned to look back at the Electrike, all of the Lightning Pokémon coming at them and forcing them to move away from each other again. This time, though, the two Poképals went on the offensive, Piplup using Hydro Pump and Chimchar using Flamethrower on the Electrike that came after them, sending all of them into the rocky wall on the sides of the Water Float. Both Piplup and Chimchar then moved so they were standing side by side again.

They didn't get a chance to catch their breaths, though, before Manectric appeared in front of Piplup and sent him flying back with a sudden Spark attack. Chimchar gasped at this and, as the Discharge Pokémon turned to look at him, he unleashed a Flamethrower at him. Manectric managed to jump to the side and avoid it, but before he could attack again, Chimchar released a Fire Spin from his mouth, catching the Discharge Pokémon up in the fiery vortex. Manectric growled at the feeling of the fire wrapping around him, struggling to break free.

While he was struggling, Piplup sat up and saw Chimchar's attack. He also noticed that, inside the Fire Spin, Manectric seemed to be trying to charge up electricity, seemingly readying another Spark attack. Hoping he could stop Manectric's attack, Piplup quickly stood up and leapt up, his body glowing bluish-white as he raised his arms and beak into the air. He then opened his beak and created a huge whirlpool above himself, using his arms to throw it towards Manectric as the Fire Spin was beginning to run out.

As the Whirlpool passed over the Fire Spin, both Piplup and Chimchar noticed how the fire lifted up off the ground and wrapped around the swirling vortex briefly before it dissipated, Manectric now caught up in the second vortex. The Whirlpool hovered in place for several seconds before it broke apart, Manectric being thrown down and landing hard in the middle of the clearing.

Temporarily forgetting about the situation they were in, Piplup and Chimchar both started thinking about what they had seen Chimchar's Fire Spin do before it stopped, wondering if they could combine the two moves next time for a more powerful attack. They didn't get to wonder long, though, as the Electrike gathered around Manectric as the tribe leader pressed his feet against the ground and raised himself up, electricity beginning to spark around his body again as Piplup moved to Chimchar's side. Manectric let out a growl and demanded, "You… you dare?!"

Chimchar and Piplup gasped, the latter exclaiming, "W-Wait a second! We didn't come here to make claims on your territory! Really!"

Manectric just growled, "Enough! Take this!" He focused the electricity going around him to a single point directly in front of his face, forming a sphere of electricity. He then lunged forward and shot it as a beam towards Team Poképals! Both Piplup and Chimchar shielded themselves, bracing for the hit…

"Stop!"

Chimchar and Piplup opened their eyes and looked up a second later to see Dusknoir floating in front of them, Manectric and his tribe seemingly stunned at his sudden appearance. "Stop this instant! Their words are sincere! They trespass, but they don't intend to make claims on your territory!" the Gripper Pokémon exclaimed.

"D-Dusknoir!" Chimchar gasped.

Manectric and the Electrike backed up a bit, Manectric saying, "You! Who are you?!"

Dusknoir explained, "I am the explorer Dusknoir! Manectric! You have every right to be angry! Especially in light of what your tribe has suffered on these grounds… Your hostility toward any that trespass here is natural! This place is your haven! A place where you find solace! I understand that completely! On behalf of these unwitting trespassers, I offer the sincerest apology! They entered here unbidden, but did so without malice! They mean no harm! We will leave you in peace once our errand is complete! Please, believe me, Manectric!"

Manectric looked at Dusknoir carefully, as if deeply considering his words. "Hmm… You seem to know much about us, Dusknoir. You make the claim… that they mean no harm…" he said after a moment. Nearly a second passed before he continued, "So be it! I choose to believe your words, Dusknoir. I will allow you some time; I expect you to be gone by our return." He turned around and faced the Electrike; after a moment, he said, "Come." He then made a powerful leap up towards the rocks he was facing, leaving the Amp Clearing. The Electrike quickly followed after him.

After they were gone, Chimchar let out a sigh before saying, "Thank you, Dusknoir, sir! You saved us!"

Dusknoir turned around as Piplup added, "Yeah, thanks. But… who were they?"

Dusknoir explained, "A group of Manectric and Electrike. They are a nomadic tribe that always stays on the move. They roam in constant search of places that are hospitable to them. And Amp Plains is often lashed by thunderstorms this time of year. They find it to their liking, so they dwell in Amp Plains this time of year." He then shook his head, "But tragically, they were once attacked by enemies here without warning… And I understand that they suffered terrible injuries." He looked at Team Poképals, "Ever since, Manectric's group has been very sensitive about trespassers here. So if anyone trespassed upon these grounds, well… they would strike first, for fear of being stricken! Somehow, at some point… That became a law among Manectric's group."

Chimchar nodded, "I get it now. That's why they were so intent on attacking and wouldn't listen to us." He then remembered something and said, "Oh! I forgot something! The Water Float was right behind Manectric earlier…" He and Piplup moved around Dusknoir, the Gripper Pokémon following behind them as they walked towards the other side of the clearing. They found the ring in the exact same spot where they had spotted it earlier. "Yeah, it's here! This is it!" Chimchar exclaimed.

Piplup looked back at Dusknoir and asked, "Dusknoir, is it really the…?"

Dusknoir nodded, "There's no mistaking it. Without a doubt, this is a Water Float."

Chimchar cheered, "Yeah, we did it! Let's return it to Marill and his little brother right away!"

While Chimchar picked up the ring, Piplup commented, "I wonder how it got here, though. I mean, seeing as it was on the beach before."

Dusknoir said, "I would imagine it was put here deliberately. Whoever did this knew you would eventually get to this spot. The fact that Manectric protects its territory is well known… Someone expected a confrontation between you and Manectric… You were set up." He then whirled around and demanded, "Wasn't that your intention… you sneaking scoundrels?!"

Chimchar looked back at him, "Huh?"

Dusknoir said, "It's about time that you came out of hiding and showed yourselves!"

A moment of silence passed before a familiar voice laughed, "Chaw-haw-haw! So you knew all along! No point in hiding, then!" At those words, a familiar trio of Pokémon walked out from behind the large rock: a Skuntank, a Zubat, and a Koffing.

Piplup gasped, "What?! Team Skull?!" The three Pokémon just laughed in response.

Chimchar growled, "So you guys did it! But why?"

Koffing smirked, "Whoa-ho-ho! We were going to wait for you to get stomped by Manectric… Then we were going to step in and mop up afterward!"

Zubat chuckled, "Heh-heh! But we didn't count on that guy meddling!"

Dusknoir floated forward, "Shall we settle this?"

Skuntank chuckled, "Chaw-haw! Sure, if it was just Team Poképals. You can bet that we'd rough 'em up good! But against the world-famous Dusknoir…? That's a different story!" As Dusknoir floated closer, Skuntank said, "Let's skedaddle, boys!" Koffing and Zubat nodded in agreement, and all three of them took off as fast as they could go!

Chimchar groaned, "Ugh, those guys are thugs!"

Dusknoir commented, "They're certainly quick when it comes to… skedaddling. I'm afraid our effort would be wasted if we were to give chase now." He turned back to Chimchar and Piplup, the two Pokémon looking up at him as he said, "I think we should deliver the Water Float to the young brothers." Piplup and Chimchar nodded, Dusknoir allowing them to walk past him and floating behind them as they left the Amp Clearing.

Before they left the clearing entirely, Dusknoir stiffened up and quickly turned to look at the large rock that Team Skull had been hiding behind. Chimchar noticed after a moment and turned to look back at him, Piplup stopping when he asked, "Dusknoir, sir? Is something wrong?"

The Gripper Pokémon continued glaring at the rock as he said, "I thought I sensed something just now…" After a few seconds, he relaxed and turned back to Team Poképals, saying, "Perhaps it was nothing. Let's carry on." Piplup and Chimchar turned and continued walking at his words, but even as he followed after them, Dusknoir's eye shifted in the direction of the rock one last time before leaving the clearing.

A few seconds later, a familiar Riolu that had been pressed up and hiding against the side of the rock relaxed, letting out a sigh and breathing normally now that he was in no danger of being caught. "Almost gave myself away… I forgot that, even though my Aura is different from most Riolu, it can still be sensed by others," Mike muttered. He glanced down at his left paw, which clutched two green-colored stones that each had a lightning bolt pattern on them. "I got lucky, finding these two Thunder Stones while tracking Dusknoir. I'm done here; I'd better finish up this request quickly," he said.

**Soon, in front of the Kecleon Brothers' Shopping Wares**

"Oh, wow! We got our Water Float back!" Azurill exclaimed. He, along with Marill, turned to Team Poképals and said, "Yay! Thank you! Really!"

Marill sniffled, "You saved Azurill way back, and now this! I don't know how we could ever thank you! But really… thank you!"

Chimchar smiled, "Come on! It's okay! If you want to thank anyone, thank the great Dusknoir! Dusknoir saved us too, after all!"

Marill and Azurill turned to the Gripper Pokémon, the former saying, "Thank you very much!"

Azurill nodded, "Thank you, Dusknoir, sir!"

Dusknoir waved his hand, "No trouble at all. I'm very happy for you. It's wonderful that your Water Float has come back to you."

The green Kecleon spoke up, "I must say! It is so like the great Dusknoir to be so modest! And I must say that Team Poképals has also been superb! After all, the team has again completed a difficult job!"

The purple Kecleon nodded, "Indeed! When rescuing Azurill, they were so fast at pinpointing the child's whereabouts! And so fast at reaching our young friend too!"

Piplup rubbed the side of his head as he murmured, "It would be great… if that was really how it happened… But I actually saw it happen in a vision."

Dusknoir heard this and hesitantly asked, "Excuse me? Did you say a vision? What do you mean by that?"

Chimchar looked up at him and said, "Oh yeah! Maybe the great Dusknoir will know what it all means! You see, Piplup occasionally gets strange dizzy spells when touching someone or something. And then he sees or hears events that happened in the past or just about to happen in the future!"

Dusknoir looked shocked, "What?! Well, that's… that's… the Dimensional Scream!"

Piplup and Chimchar were surprised by this. "_He knows what it is?!_" Piplup thought to himself.

"Whoa! Dusknoir, sir, you really know something about this?! Can you tell us more?!" Chimchar asked.

"I… yes, I can. But perhaps it would be best if you started from the beginning," Dusknoir answered.

Chimchar turned to Piplup and asked, "Is it okay to tell him, Piplup?"

The former human thought for a few seconds before nodding, "Sure."

Chimchar turned back to Dusknoir and asked, "Dusknoir, sir, could you please follow us?" Dusknoir nodded and followed them onto the bridge over the stream, the Kecleon Brothers, Marill, and Azurill watching them leave, curious as to what was going on.

After crossing the bridge, the three Pokémon walked out of Treasure Town and headed down to the beach, Chimchar explaining the circumstances of his and Piplup's meeting all the while. As they were heading down the stairs to the beach, a familiar Riolu appeared at the top of the stairs leading up to the guild and spotted them, specifically Dusknoir. Tucking a Thunder Stone into his bag, Mike ran down the steps and followed them, making sure to run carefully so as not to make a sound. When they got down to the beach, he leapt off the main path onto some small rocks sticking out of the water and hid behind the larger rocks closest to the three Pokémon so he could listen in.

Dusknoir hovered over the spot where Chimchar had found Piplup, the two Poképals standing behind him as he looked down at the sand. After a moment, he spoke, "I see… So you found your friend unconscious right here."

Chimchar nodded, "Yes, right here exactly."

Dusknoir turned around to look at Piplup, "Then you regained consciousness. But you lost your memory."

Piplup nodded sadly, "Right. I don't remember much of anything…"

Chimchar spoke, "But he did remember one thing: he remembered being a human before!"

Dusknoir's eye widened, "I beg your pardon?! A human?!" He looked at Piplup for a moment and then back at Chimchar, saying, "But he looks like any other Piplup I've ever seen!"

Chimchar sighed, "That's true… I guess this is beyond even the great Dusknoir's understanding."

Piplup spoke, "But I know I used to be a human! It's the only thing I know for sure! Somehow, I've forgotten everything else and turned into a Pokémon!"

Dusknoir looked down at Piplup carefully. "A human… with the Dimensional Scream ability…" he murmured. He thought to himself, "_That attitude… and that personality…_" His stare subtly intensified, "_Are you…? Can it be…?_"

Chimchar spoke up, "Um, Dusknoir, sir? Is something wrong?"

Dusknoir came out of his thoughts and turned back to Chimchar. He cast a subtle sidelong glance at Piplup before looking at Chimchar and saying, "…No, it's nothing. Just mere speculation about our friend, I'm afraid."

Piplup tilted his head to the side in confusion. "_What was that just now? Why was he looking at me like that? And… was he hiding a smile just now? Or did I imagine that…?_" he wondered.

Dusknoir spoke, bringing the former human out of his thoughts, "I'm sincerely sorry I can't do more to help you… However… I do know about the ability that Piplup possesses."

Chimchar gasped, "Really?! What is it?!"

Dusknoir explained, "The ability to see the future or the past by touching something… That ability is known as the Dimensional Scream."

Piplup asked, "Dimensional… Scream?"

Dusknoir nodded, "How such an ability is learned, I do not know. But sounds and images slice across the boundaries of time, breaching objects and reaching into Pokémon… To manifest as visions… And that is all I know about the extraordinary ability."

Chimchar murmured, "Wow… So Piplup has an ability as special as the Dimensional Scream…"

Dusknoir spoke, "Well, perhaps this is why we became friends. To help unravel the secret of why Piplup lost his memory and became a Pokémon! I offer you my full cooperation!"

Chimchar asked, "You will?!"

Dusknoir nodded, "Yes. To be perfectly candid… I can't stand knowing that there's something I don't know! Quite honestly, that is the full truth of it! Ha-ha-ha! Hoo-hoo-ha!"

Chimchar laughed, "It's thrilling to know that we have your help, Dusknoir, sir!" He turned to Piplup and asked, "Isn't this great, Piplup?"

Piplup stared back at him for a moment and was about to answer when he thought he saw something move across the water. "Huh?" he asked as he peered around Chimchar, seeing a shadow move across the water a moment later. Looking up, he saw the source. "Hey! Look at all the Pelipper!" he said, Chimchar and Dusknoir turning to look as well.

"There appears to be a lot more in the air than usual," Chimchar noted a second later.

"Could something be the matter?" Dusknoir wondered.

They all heard a familiar voice call, "Hey!" The three of them turned to see Bidoof running towards them. The Plump Mouse Pokémon came to a stop in front of Team Poképals, panting.

"Hello, Bidoof!" Chimchar greeted.

Bidoof panted, "I f-finally… f-found you all…"

Piplup asked, "What's the big hurry? You're all out of breath!"

Bidoof explained, "The call has been put out! All the apprentices are to report to the guild immediately!"

Chimchar exclaimed, "Uh-oh! Something is up!"

Dusknoir spoke, "I will go with you!"

Bidoof turned and ran, saying, "Hurry, everyone!" The three of them then took off across the beach, heading for the Wigglytuff Guild.

Once they were gone, Mike came out from behind the rocks he'd been hiding behind, looking at the path and seeing Team Poképals, Bidoof, and Dusknoir moving away in the distance. He thought to himself, "_Carl called it right about Dusknoir. I've seen and heard enough to know when someone is hiding something. That being overly friendly, that suave charm he's oozing…_" He glared, "_I don't know what he's actually hiding, but there's something he's not telling them._"

* * *

Whew. I'm glad to have this one done. Personally, I feel that this is my best Pokémon fanfic overall. I'm not saying I dislike my other Pokémon stories; I just think this one is the best in terms of quality.

I'm not really sure what to say right now, so I'll just list off the main things I thought of when writing this chapter.

In case you were wondering, the place where human!Piplup and Grovyle end up is where the Time Gear is located in Treeshroud Forest in the past. That's why Piplup was stunned for a moment in the last chapter and when he was helping Grovyle out of the water here: he was experiencing the Dimensional Scream for the first time.

I admit I kind of burned out while I was writing the battle with the Manectric and Electrike tribe. The main thing I wanted to do during the battle was to have Piplup and Chimchar first start to come up with the Whirlpool-Fire Spin-Energy Ball combo that Team Poképals used against Dusknoir and the Sableye in the "Explorers of Sky" special.

At the end, Mike's final line was originally "I don't know what he's actually hiding, but he's guilty as hell." I ended up changing it because, thinking about it again, it seemed kind of vague. It probably isn't, but it felt that way when I replayed him saying it in my head.

Not sure there's much else worth mentioning. I'm glad to be back, though!

Mike Victor, Karnak, and Xaomora belong to RandomPerson422.


	17. The Hunt Begins, New Hiding Place

"Huff-puff… Come on! Hurry!" Bidoof gasped as he led the way back to the Wigglytuff Guild, Team Poképals and Dusknoir having followed him as they left the beach and went up the stone steps leading to the guild's entrance. The Plump Mouse Pokémon went down the aboveground ladder first, Chimchar going down after him with Piplup and Dusknoir following behind. After they went down, Mike Victor walked through the tent opening, but instead of following the other explorers down, he moved to the side of the hole and crouched down with his right paw on the ground, perking his ears and focusing his Aura as he stared down at the hole.

When the four explorers reached the bottom of the ladder, they found all the Guild members clustered around the Outlaw Notice Board, all of them talking rapidly. "Whoa, the entire guild really has been alerted," Piplup murmured.

"Everyone's here, yup yup!" Bidoof nodded. He stepped forward, Chimchar, Piplup, and Dusknoir following him as the other guild members took notice of their arrival, Diglett moving to the side to let them in.

"Sorry, everyone! We just got told that the call had been sent out, so we came running!" Chimchar said.

"What's going on?" Piplup asked.

Chatot closed his eyes as he said, "Another Time Gear has been stolen!"

Team Poképals and Bidoof looked shocked at this, the latter gasping, "What?! Not another one!"

Chimchar asked, "Where from now…? Where was this Time Gear stolen from?"

Chatot nervously stammered, "W-well, it…"

Bidoof looked confused, "Uh… what's the problem? Did it happen somewhere you don't want to talk about?"

Piplup's eyes widened slightly as a thought occurred to him, "No… It couldn't have been the Time Gear from…"

Sunflora nodded gravely, "Yes… it was! This time… the Time Gear from Fogbound Lake was stolen."

Bidoof gasped, "Huh?!"

Chimchar stammered, "B-But, how?! How could this happen?! Only we knew about the Time Gear at Fogbound Lake, right?"

Piplup wondered, "Was Grovyle the one who stole it…?"

Dusknoir, who by now was looking confused, spoke up, "Just one moment! I'm afraid I don't quite understand… There was a Time Gear at Fogbound Lake? I did not know that… Did I not hear a different tale about your recent expedition? I recall being told that your expedition to Fogbound Lake ended in failure."

Wigglytuff frowned, "I apologize, great Dusknoir. We made a promise, so we couldn't tell you, Dusknoir."

Chatot cleared his throat, "Anyway… In answer to Piplup's earlier question, I'm afraid Grovyle is indeed once again responsible. However, this time it seems he had an accomplice to help him get past Uxie so he could make off with the Time Gear."

Piplup gasped, "An accomplice?!"

Chimchar asked, "Is Uxie all right?!"

Chatot nodded, "Yes. Uxie is fine."

Wigglytuff said, "He's under the protection of Magnezone's squad. Aside from some minor injuries, it seems he was knocked out by a Hypnosis attack. No need to worry."

Chimchar sighed, "Whew! I'm glad to hear that!"

Chatot spoke, "Wait, there's more. According to Uxie's victim statement, he was able to identify Grovyle's accomplice."

Bidoof said, "Then fess up! Who would want to help Grovyle steal the Time Gears?"

Chatot gestured to the Outlaw Notice Board, "There's already a wanted poster up for the Pokémon. See for yourselves." Bidoof, Chimchar, Piplup, and Dusknoir moved to get in front of the board, looking up at it.

Grovyle's wanted poster was in the middle of the board, just like it had been since the day after Chimchar and Piplup joined the Wigglytuff Guild, but now a second poster had been placed right next to it, showing a black Pokémon with red eyes, a yellow mark on its forehead, and yellow lines going around its ears. "This Pokémon is known as Umbreon, and it goes by the name 'Shade'," Chimchar said, looking at the description under the picture.

Bidoof shivered, "Oof! He looks like something fierce too!"

While Piplup looked up at the two posters silently, Chatot spoke, "The new wanted poster just arrived. It was issued based on Uxie's statement. It arrived as part of an all-points bulletin."

Bidoof said, "Oh, that figures! That's why all those Pelipper were flying around!"

Chatot replied, "Office Magnezone obviously doesn't want to see things worsen. They've raised the bounty remarkably high for the capture of Grovyle as well as his Umbreon partner."

Piplup murmured, "We promised Uxie… We promised not to reveal the secret of Fogbound Lake. But then this happens…"

Sunflora heard him and spoke, "We didn't reveal the secret, but… I'm ashamed to show my face in front of Uxie now!"

Corphish said, "Hey, hey! Here's what sticks in my craw! The view there has been ruined! And hey, hey! I just can't forgive that!'

At their words, Wigglytuff began to shake, "Urrrr…"

Chimecho quickly noticed and said, "Hey! Guildmaster…!"

Despite everyone else turning to look as well, Wigglytuff continued shaking, "Urrrr… Urrrrrr… Urrrrrrr…!"

Some of the other guild members began to worry as Chatot gasped, "G-G-Guildmaster!"

All of a sudden, the guild began to shake! "Urrrrrrrrr…!" Wigglytuff seemingly growled. Suddenly, he leapt up with a "YOOM… TAH!"

Loudred yelped, "WAH!"

Chatot squawked as Wigglytuff looked at each of the apprentices with a rare look of determination. He then spoke, "Everyone! We'll catch Grovyle and Umbreon! We'll catch those thieves! I vow it upon the name of Wigglytuff's Guild!" He looked at Chatot, "Chatot, if you will!"

Chatot shakily responded, "Y-Yes, Guildmaster!" He turned to the guild members and said, "Okay, everyone! From here on out, we are putting our full focus on catching Grovyle and Umbreon! Do your best to bring them to justice!"

Loudred spoke first, "It goes without saying!"

Corphish nodded, "Hey, hey, hey! There's no way we can let them steal any more Time Gears!"

Sunflora cheered, "C'mon, everyone! Let's pull together! Let's do it for Uxie!"

Dusknoir spoke, everyone's attention turning to him as he said, "Wigglytuff… I believe I understand the situation now. I will join in your guild's pursuit of Grovyle and K- Umbreon."

Wigglytuff replied, "Th-thank you, great Dusknoir!"

Bidoof said, "Golly! Having the great Dusknoir in our corner is might heartening!"

Corphish nodded, "Hey, hey! We're honored!"

Dusknoir replied, "No, no! It's my honor entirely."

Chatot spoke, "At present, the Guildmaster and I shall confer! We will devise a strategy for finding Grovyle and Shade. In the meantime, all of you should start preparing to go on searches! Return here when you are sure you are ready. Okay, everyone! Let's outdo ourselves! " All the apprentices let out a cheer at that before breaking to get prepared.

Chimchar turned to Piplup and said, "We should hurry and get ready, Piplup. Let's head to Treasure Town and start preparing." The former human nodded and followed Chimchar up the ladder to the surface. As they walked out from under the tent and started heading for the town, a familiar Riolu peered out from the back of the tent, watching them.

Around ten minutes later, Piplup and Chimchar left Treasure Town and headed back towards the Wigglytuff Guild, their Treasure Bag now stocked with items that they thought they would need. Coming to a stop at the crossroads, Piplup looked at Chimchar and asked, "Can you think of anything else we might need, Chimchar?"

Chimchar thought for a moment before he turned to Piplup and replied, "No, I think we've got enough to start us off. We don't want to fill our Treasure Bag all the way in case we find anything that could help us." He patted the bag with his right hand as he continued, "It'll be all right, Piplup. With the whole guild focusing on this, the search for Grovyle and Shade the Umbreon should be over in no time!"

A familiar voice asked, "You guys selling tickets to that or can anyone attend?" Piplup and Chimchar turned their heads to look in the direction of the Wigglytuff Guild, seeing a familiar Riolu standing nearby in the middle of the path with his paws on his hips.

"Mike!" Chimchar gasped.

"What are you doing here?" Piplup asked.

The Riolu shrugged, "Eh, taking care of a few requests, trying to keep the peace; you know, the whole Exploration Team thing." He looked at the two young explorers and said, "I noticed the town seems a little more active, and just now you guys were talking about your whole guild focusing on catching some Grovyle and Umbreon. Outlaws, I'm guessing?"

Chimchar nodded, "Yeah. Have you seen the wanted poster for Grovyle before, Mike?"

The Riolu nodded, acting as though he hadn't heard the gathering in the guild earlier, "Yeah, it's been up there for a while. Guy's been stealing Time Gears, right?"

Piplup nodded, "That's right, and from what we heard earlier, he and that Umbreon have stolen the Time Gear from Fogbound Lake."

Mike looked intrigued at this, "No kidding? How'd they know about the Time Gear there?"

Piplup replied, "We don't know."

Chimchar sighed, "This happened so soon after our expedition there, but I know no one from the guild could've broken the promise we made to Uxie. There's just no way…"

Mike gave a thoughtful "hm" and then said, "Well, sounds like it's gonna be a big job. Better get to it." He turned and started heading for the path leading to the wilderness.

Piplup and Chimchar turned to watch him go, the former calling, "Wait, Mike!" The Riolu stopped, but he didn't turn around. "You don't want to help?" Piplup asked.

Mike was quiet for a moment, but then he said, "From the sound of things, you guys are going to have the whole guild supporting you. You were the ones who solved the mystery of Fogbound Lake with some help from your fellow apprentices, remember? Bringing those two clowns to justice ought to be a breeze." He resumed walking, soon turning off the path and leaving the two Pokémon's sight.

Piplup and Chimchar looked at each other for a moment before deciding they needed to report back to Chatot and went up the path leading to the guild's stairs. As they headed up the steps, they failed to notice Mike come back to the crossroads a couple seconds later, sneaking up after the two young explorers.

After a couple of minutes, all the apprentices gathered before Chatot and Wigglytuff on the guild's first floor, Dusknoir floating to Chatot's right. Chatot addressed them, "Now, I see everyone's with us! First and foremost! This should go without saying… Grovyle appears wherever Time Gears are located. But where are the Time Gears? That is the question! But we have no answer. And, therefore, we have relied upon the great Dusknoir for ideas. Together, we've identified several locations where the Time Gears may be found. We ask that everyone split into groups and investigate each of these potential sites."

The Music Note Pokémon turned to look at Loudred and Corphish, "First, Loudred and Corphish! I'm assigning you to the Eastern Forest. That's the huge forest far to the east, of course."

Loudred nodded, "Got it!"

Corphish clacked his pincers, "Hey, hey! We'll do our best!"

Chatot nodded and then said, "Next, Bidoof, Dugtrio, and Sunflora! We'd like you to search Crystal Cave."

Bidoof spoke, "Yup yup! Will do!"

Dugtrio nodded, "Understood."

Sunflora gasped, "Oh my gosh! I'll search hard!"

Chatot then said, "And finally, Piplup and Chimchar! You two are assigned to the Northern Desert."

Piplup asked, "The Northern Desert?"

Chatot nodded, "Correct." He flew over to the penguin and Chimchar and turned to the latter, saying, "Chimchar, if you could open your Wonder Map, please."

Chimchar nodded, "Okay." He pulled the map out of the Treasure Bag and unfurled it, laying it on the ground.

Chatot pointed to an area on the map with a wing, "See? This area. It's not well-explored, but the dry terrain starts in this area here. That's why it's rumored that a vast desert extends from that point onward. We suspect that a Time Gear is hidden in the depths of the desert. That is where we're sending you to investigate." He retracted his wing as he finished speaking.

Chimchar rolled up the Wonder Map and said, "Okay! We understand!"

As Chatot flew back to the front, Diglett asked, "Um… What about me…?"

Chatot replied, "Diglett will remain at the guild. We can't very well leave the guild completely unattended."

Chimecho spoke up, "Croagunk and I are staying behind at the guild too. The work we do at the guild is important too. Let's make sure we keep up our good work!"

Diglett stammered, "Y-yes!"

Wigglytuff spoke, "Now, let's find the Time Gears, everyone! YOOM… TAH!" Everyone let out a cheer in response.

As Dusknoir imparted one last piece of advice to Team Poképals and everyone else headed for the ladder to head out to their assigned locations, Mike Victor dashed away from the guild, getting off the small plateau before Loudred reached the top of the ladder. Once he had left the crossroads, he slowed to a walk and thought to himself, "_Dusknoir seems to be taking quite an interest in Grovyle and that Umbreon; for a second earlier, it sounded like he was going to name one of them. I can already tell Dusknoir's hiding something; maybe those two have something to do with it? I should track them down before anyone else does. Looks like its Alwin's turn to take the lead._"

He came to a stop suddenly as a thought occurred to him, "_Wait, since when do Umbreons learn Hypnosis? Alright, Shade, now you've got my interest._" With that, he dashed off to the HBM camp, eager to get on the outlaws' trail first.

* * *

"Drake, you big silly, you need to relax! You're going to wear a groove in the dirt if you keep that up!" Celebi giggled as she relaxed on a tree branch with her back against the tree's trunk. An annoyed growl came from below, causing the Time Travel Pokémon to frown.

Errol tried next, the Mothim clinging to the side of a tree as he said, "Drake, she has a point. All this pacing isn't helping anyone. Just sit down and… try to relax."

The Gabite stopped for a moment at that before letting out another growl and resuming his pacing. "Something's happened. It shouldn't be taking Grovyle this long to get back. He's not careless enough to let himself be easily caught. Something has to have happened to him!" Drake grunted.

Errol spoke, "Drake, I'm sure Grovyle's fine. He managed to avoid being captured until he met up with us again, and Karnak went out to look for him."

Drake said, "That's the problem! Dusknoir and his Sableye cronies have a better idea how to capture Grovyle now, and they've clearly dealt with that shapeshifting Sandslash before! Now that we're all together in one big happy group, they're going to be prepared to deal with ALL of us! If they found him alone, he'd be overwhelmed!"

Celebi spoke, "Oh, I'm sure Grovyle wouldn't be captured that easily. He seems like the type of Pokémon that's capable of getting out of tough situations." She smiled softly to herself at that.

Drake crossed his arms and grunted, "I feel so much better after hearing you say that."

A second later, Grovyle and Karnak stepped between two of the trees at the edge of the clearing, the latter asking, "Uh, we're not interrupting anything, are we?"

Celebi, Drake, and Errol turned to look at them at that, Celebi fluttering her wings and flying down to Grovyle, placing her hands on the underside of his face and pressing the side of her head up against it while saying, "Grovyle! You're back!"

Grovyle was surprised by this display, confusedly asking, "Celebi? Is something wrong?"

The pink Pokémon realized what she was doing and floated back, placing her arms behind her back and looking down to the side as she responded, "Oh… no. I'm just… relieved to see you're all right." Grovyle looked at her oddly for a moment.

Drake came over and asked, "Where have you been, Grovyle? Karnak shouldn't have had to go looking for you!"

The Sandslash shrugged, "Hey, I didn't want my chance to stretch my legs be ruined by worrying if Grovyle was all right either, but at least he has a good excuse." As he finished talking, one of the claws on his right paw changed into a vine that, when he up held his paw, shot behind him into the darkness past the trees.

A second later, the vine pulled their human companion into view behind Grovyle and Karnak, Celebi and Errol looking surprised at his appearance while Drake looked… considerably less surprised. "What- A human!" Errol exclaimed, shooting up into the tree covering above.

Celebi placed her right hand on her chin as she looked the boy over. "You're… Aren't you the boy from before?" she asked.

Karnak nodded as his claw returned to normal, "Yeah, it's him, Celebi." Errol fluttered down out of the trees at that. The human weakly waved, noticing, as Karnak and Grovyle had thought, that Drake didn't seem very happy about this piece of news.

The Gabite soon turned his attention to Grovyle, however, the Wood Gecko Pokémon already giving him a hard look. "Why did you bring him back here?!" he demanded.

Grovyle replied simply, "Because he helped me, Drake."

Errol hovered closer to Grovyle and noticed the scratches and smudges on his body. He gasped, "Grovyle! Did you get attacked?"

The green Pokémon nodded, "Yes, Errol. I ran into some Sableye patrols when I was on my way back, and he," he gestured to the human, "helped me evade them."

Drake looked at him skeptically. "HE helped you escape? Forgive me if I have a hard time believing that," he huffed.

Celebi asked, "So you ran into him and he helped you?"

Grovyle replied, "Yes. We did run into each other. …Well, one of us did."

Errol asked, "So why'd he come back with you? Is he in trouble with the Sableye now?"

Karnak said, "Errol, he's probably been in trouble with the Sableye and Dusknoir just for being a human. No, since Grovyle said he lost the food he gathered when he was attacked by the Sableye, our friend here has offered to share some of his extras with us."

Drake raised an eye, "Really?"

While sliding his backpack off of his shoulders, the human answered, "Yeah. I managed to find a lot of food where I was." He set the pack down and opened the main compartment, reaching inside to pull out two apples and giving them to Grovyle and Karnak before reaching back inside to grab more. After about a minute, he closed the backpack and slid it back onto his shoulders, the Pokémon getting their fill of the apples and berries he had offered them.

After finishing his last Sitrus Berry, Karnak licked his claws to get the last bit of flavor from them and said, "Mm. Hey buddy, thanks for the grub!"

Drake quietly muttered, "Yeah… Thanks."

The human gave a small smile, "Yeah, uh, no problem." He then turned and said, "I, uh… I gotta go."

Grovyle looked over at him in surprise, "What, already?"

The boy glanced back and said, "Well, I… I wasn't supposed to come out this far. I had an accident and, when I ended up in this forest, decided to take the chance that I could find more food than I would've had I not gotten lost. Someone will probably start worrying about me if I'm gone for too long."

Errol asked, "Who? Who's going to get worried?"

The human got a bit nervous at that, stuttering, "Uh… just some… others… at the… place I've been staying…"

Karnak tilted his head, "Where HAVE you been staying? I haven't seen you around since you left, and none of the others have said anything."

Seeing no other way out now, the boy admitted, "It's up in the mountainous region north of here. There are a lot of us taking shelter up there."

Celebi asked, "Other humans like you?"

The boy gave a small shrug, "Yeah. There are Pokémon there too."

Karnak spoke up, "Well hey, why don't we see if we can get in on that? Get out of this small forest clearing and up into some mountains!"

Everyone looked at him at that, Errol exclaiming, "What?! Karnak, we're safe right here!"

The Sandslash protested, "For now, Errol. Once those Sableye get back to Dusknoir and tell him where they saw Grovyle and the kid, they're going to start searching this forest relentlessly to find us. Sooner or later, they're going to find us, and then what will we do? We'll be on the run again with nowhere to go!"

Drake spoke, "And what makes you think where this human stays is all that safer? Yeah, they'll start searching for us, but they won't find us easily! We're well-hidden here!"

Karnak gave a snide glance at the Gabite's footprints, still visible in the dirt of the clearing. "Yeah, Drake, no one will EVER notice a Gabite trying to stomp a valley into the middle of this particular clearing," he said. Drake gave a growl at that; Karnak held up a paw, "Look, the closeness of these trees is the only thing that's keeping us hidden, and it works best from a distance. Up close? Not so much." He pointed to the human, "He's clearly been hidden well if he's still roaming around, and until now, we haven't seen any trace of him since he left. Can we at least check out what kind of conditions the kid is living in and see if there's anything better?"

Drake continued to look at him, prompting Celebi to say, "I think it's really up to him whether or not we can go." She gestured to the human as she said this.

They all looked at the human. He was silent for a moment, thinking before saying, "I don't have a problem with it, but I'm sure some of them will want to ask some questions."

Karnak waved a paw, "That's to be expected, though. Considering the state of this world, who ISN'T likely to be suspicious of others?"

Grovyle nodded, "I think you have a valid point, Karnak." He turned back to the human, "Can you show us where you're staying?"

The human nodded, "Sure. We just have to head north." After determining what direction to go, the boy led the way, Grovyle and Karnak walking behind him and Celebi and Errol fluttering over them. Drake hesitated for a moment before giving a small sigh and following after them.

After walking for some time, they exited the forest and, not long after that, the grass and dirt gave way to rocky terrain. They soon began making their way up the slopes of one of the many mountains that dominated this part of the continent. As they were walking, Drake noticed the human was staying close to the rocky wall, keeping a hand on it as he walked. "What's with you? Don't like heights, or you just worried about falling?" he asked suddenly.

The boy glanced back at him and said, "Well, I already fell once earlier, so I've had my experience with that. No, this is… you'll see." Drake raised an eyebrow at that, but said nothing.

After some more time of working their way up the mountain path, they were getting close to the summit when the boy suddenly came to a stop after placing his hand back on the wall, having had to take it off due to a boulder in the way. He spoke, "We're here."

The Pokémon looked at him in confusion, Errol asking, "We are? I don't see anything…"

Drake grunted at him, "Just because you're a Bug-type Pokémon doesn't mean you can see everything."

Karnak eyed the section of wall the human had stopped in front of. Walking up to it, he examined it carefully before saying, "That's odd. This part of the mountain seems different from the rest." He tapped it with his claws and said, "It even sounds different. Like a different kind of rock…"

Celebi looked at the human and said, "It looks the same to me. Is Karnak telling the truth?"

The boy, as he walked back to the boulder they had passed, replied, "Yeah, and here's why." He reached his left hand behind the boulder and, moments later, they heard the sound of some sort of mechanism shifting. Suddenly, the section of wall moved out of place, revealing a passageway behind it!

The Pokémon were surprised, Drake managing to say, "What?! You mean it's…?"

Karnak held a paw to his chin, "So the entrance is hidden behind a rock that's disguised to look like the rest of the mountain and moves when a hidden mechanism is triggered. Interesting…"

The human nodded, "Yep." He walked through the opening and, when he adjusted the positioning of his legs, said, "Watch your step. It's dark and kind of steep." The Pokémon glanced at one another for a moment before Grovyle followed after the human, Karnak following him and Errol, Celebi, and Drake bringing up the rear. As they headed down the dark tunnel, the rock slid back into place, once again hiding the entrance from the outside world.

After walking for a short while (the human hadn't been kidding when he said it was steep), Grovyle began to see light coming from up ahead, which was coming from a pair of torches where the ground flattened out again. He followed the human through the opening the torches marked and joined him on a rocky cliff. Looking down below, his eyes widened at what he saw. "Am I… This is where you… What is THIS?!" he exclaimed.

* * *

Okay, this is totally a chapter that I shouldn't have let sit for as long as I did. I admit that I got sidetracked after I finished the first half and I am deeply sorry for it. I know this chapter is setting up for future events, but I still hope the wait was worth it. I was told it was good, so I hope you all found it to be good too.

As should be expected, I own nothing. Mike Victor and Karnak belong to RandomPerson422.


End file.
